Pulling Heaven Down
by IdPattThat
Summary: He's reaching, wishing, and hoping he's enough. Will she let him be just that?
1. Meeting

**Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight and these characters and probably has a lot of cool stuff because of it. **

**Last month I said I wasn't sure if I was going to write anymore...that didn't happen, I guess. **

**ThatIsRiddik and killerlashes will always be my go-to girls, so thanks to them. **

**Chapters will be short and (hopefully) to the point. **

**PS - I love you.**

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**He's reaching, wishing, and hoping he's enough. Will she let him be just that?**

Pulling Heaven Down – Meeting

**Edward**

"Dr. C? I've got a patient in room four for you. Sick baby, mom's a little freaked out. Think you can handle it?" Heidi asked as she flashed me a smile and handed me a chart.

"Of course. Why not? Babies are my specialty," I muttered as I quickly glanced at the chart and made my way to the exam room. Babies weren't _really_ my specialty. Children kind of hated me, though I wasn't too sure why. My sister said it was because I was so serious all the time, which was hardly true. I was just focused. Really, really focused.

I cringed as I stepped into the room. A dark-haired woman was trying fruitlessly to quiet an equally dark-haired baby who was crying hysterically.

"Harry, Harry, Harry," she crooned his name and kissed his head, but he continued to cry.

_Harry?_

"Um…Miss…" I flipped to front of the chart and read the baby's name again just as the woman turned to me.

_Jacob Harrison Uley. _

She turned just as I looked up and I met her frantic-looking eyes.

"Leah?"

"Edward!" she cried and clutched the baby tighter to her. "I didn't know- you're a doctor!" Leah's dark eyes were wide with surprise, though she knew I was in medical school. I observed her for a moment- short, sleek hair and high cheekbones. She looked tired, which I was sure had to do with the sick baby in her arms, but she was just as beautiful as I remembered. A blush crept up her neck and I laughed softly and stepped toward her, putting my hand on the top of Harry's messy black hair.

"Freshly graduated, actually." I smiled and gestured to the exam table in the middle of the room. "Tell me what's going on with this little guy."

Leah rattled off her son's symptoms while I took his vitals. His cries quieted to sniffles and he clung to his mother's shirt and looked up at me with her big, dark eyes. He looked more like Leah than Sam, and had to be almost a year old. I hadn't seen her in nearly that long, though I could remember the day perfectly.

It was the day I buried my best friend and her son's namesake, though I guess she and Sam decided against calling him Jacob.

"How long has he had a fever?" I asked.

"A few hours. I gave him the proper dose of Tylenol, but it wouldn't come down. That's why I came. Nothing seems to calm him," she said with a tired sigh.

"All right, don't worry. Looks like it's just a virus, but I'll get him set up with some fluids, okay?"

Just as I spoke, Harry coughed and then vomited all over the front of my shirt. I tried to step back, but it was no use.

"Oh, _God_!" Leah exclaimed and stepped forward to help me. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine, trust me. Yesterday a homeless man peed on me. This is nothing." I tugged off my scrub shirt and tossed it in the trash, leaving me in a t-shirt, then grabbed a pair of gloves and started taking off Harry's soiled pajamas.

"You got…peed on?" Her nose wrinkled.

"Well, that's what I get for standing still too long in the emergency room, I guess," I teased and she smiled and shook her head. After I removed his pajamas, Leah lifted her son into her arms and kissed his head.

"I'm going to go get a nurse to get you set up; do you want to call Sam or anything?" I asked as I made my way to the door.

Her eyes met mine again and she didn't speak for a long moment. "No. Sam's not around," Leah finally answered. She turned away, blinking quickly and hugging her son tighter.

"Oh. Um, okay. Is there anyone I can call for you?"

"I'm okay. We're okay." Leah smiled, though it was forced, and I nodded.

I sent a nurse in to take care of Harry and give him a new pair of pajamas, and then set off to check on some other patients. I had been telling the truth when I told Leah I was "freshly graduated", and Harborview Medical Center was an excellent place to get started. I thought about Leah and Harry while I did my rounds and finally found myself back on the first floor looking for them.

"Moved to the children's wing, Dr. C," Heidi told me when she caught me frowning and walking out of the empty room. "Mom was dead on her feet, so we put them in a big room."

"Thanks, Heidi," I replied and set off in search of them.

I hadn't seen much of anyone since Jacob's funeral, but Leah and I were never that close to begin with. I didn't even know she had moved to Seattle. It surprised me because I didn't think she and Sam would ever leave La Push- their families were there. But then again, if Sam was out of the picture, maybe she was here on her own.

Of course, it was hard to be around the members of our old circle without him there, though Bella and I still had dinner every Friday night: me, her, and Willow, Bella and Jake's five-year-old daughter. It was hard to see Willow growing up without Jake, and I'd promised him I'd look after his girls. So I tried my best once a week to be there for the both of them.

When I finally found Leah, she was sitting in a rocker with Harry wrapped up in her arms, sleeping soundly.

"You got a new shirt," she said with a small smile.

"I did." I smiled back and reached out to brush Harry's hair from his forehead. "How's my patient?"

"Much better."

"And mom?"

"Also better," she laughed softly and I felt my smile grow.

"Good." I patted her hand. "I'll be in later, okay? Call a nurse if you need anything, and try and get some rest."

"Yes, Dr. Cullen."

"I mean it."

"Me too."

A few hours later I retuned to the room and found Leah curled up with Harry on the bed. I covered them both up, checked Harry's chart, and was walking out the door as Leah stirred and sat up.

"Edward?"

"Yeah?" I stepped back into the room and she took a deep breath.

"Thank you," Leah whispered and then sniffled quietly. I went to her quickly and pulled her into a tight hug. "I was so scared."

"I'm sorry," I told her because it was the only thing I thought to say and my mother told me that sometimes people just needed to hear it. "Is everything okay?"

"No. Not really." She gave me a watery smile and looked down at Harry. "It's been hard…since Jake's been gone, you know?"

"I know." I nodded and felt my throat tighten.

"You see Bella though, right?" Leah glanced up at me, almost as if she were trying to make sure I was keeping my promise.

"Yeah, every week."

"Good," she muttered. "That's good."

"I can call her if you want. Maybe she can come and sit with you?"

"No, that's okay. I don't want her to have Willow out of bed so late. We'll be fine," Leah reassured me.

"Okay." I frowned. "I'll be back before my shift ends, then."

A multi car accident tied me up in the ER later and I missed Harry being discharged. I thought about using Leah's personal information to contact her, but I didn't. Something about her showing up at my hospital set me off, though, especially after her comment about Sam.

_He's not around._ What did that even mean?

I thought about it for a few days until my dinner with Bella and Willow. They showed up at my apartment at six-thirty on the nose carrying Chinese food.

"We got those noodles that you like," Willow said as she grinned up at me. "And extra fortune cookies, too!"

"Best day _ever_!" I cried and swept her up into my arms. Bella smiled as her daughter giggled and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Go wash up, little girl." I set Willow down on her feet and Bella turned to me almost immediately.

"I heard you ran into Leah."

"More like she ran into me." I shrugged and pulled out our plates and silverware. "Is Harry better?"

"Yeah, yeah he's great. It's her I'm worried about." Bella frowned and chewed on her thumbnail. I pulled her hand away from her mouth and she stuck her tongue out at me.

"Because of the whole Sam thing?" I asked and she nodded. "What's going on?"

"No one really knows. She just packed up and left one day and ended up here with a job and an apartment, almost like she'd been planning it."

"All clean, Mommy!" Willow announced as she bounded back into the kitchen. We dropped the subject of Leah for the time being, though I couldn't help but think about _why_ she'd moved to a big city all alone with an infant and then tell me that her husband "wasn't around".

I was curious, but even more than that…I was worried about her. Something about our brief conversations led me to think that the situation was far worse than anyone knew, and that Leah was keeping something from everyone.


	2. Conversing

**Don't own, blahblahblah. **

**Hiiii. Thank you for the support off the first chapter, you guys are great! **

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**Thank you for reading! **

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Pulling Heaven Down – Conversing

**Leah**

"He's fine, Mom. You don't need to come out," I said, trying to hold in my sigh. "I don't want you driving so late."

"You're sure, sweetie?"

Then I really did sigh. "Yes- hold on, someone's at the door." I glanced at Harry bouncing happily in his Excersaucer and strode quickly to the door. "Mom, let me call you back, okay?"

I said a quick goodbye and opened the door, not even trying to hide the surprised look on my face at finding Edward Cullen on my doorstep.

"You make house calls?" I asked and the corner of his mouth curved up into a smile.

"For special cases," he teased. "May I come in? I brought take-out." He held up a pizza box.

"You make house calls _and_ bring food? I didn't know Harborview was that kind of hospital."

"Smartass. Just let me in," Edward laughed and I moved aside to let him in and led him to the kitchen.

"How did you get my address, by the way? Reading my son's file?" I raised an eyebrow at him and he smiled shyly.

"No. Bella told me." He shrugged. "Oh, I brought you these back." Edward pulled a little plastic bag out and I took it from him. Inside were Harry's pajamas with dancing dinosaurs on them. I smiled.

"Thank you," I told him, ignoring the lump in my throat. "Would you like to see him?"

"Yeah. I'd like that." Edward put down the pizza box he was holding and followed me into the living room. I picked Harry up and he buried his face in my neck. "Hey there," Edward whispered and held his hands out. To my surprise, my son went to him willingly and gave him a shy smile. "You feeling better, little dude? I was worried about you."

"He's much better, thanks to an antibiotic and a pretty good doctor." I smoothed Harry's hair down and squeezed Edward's hand that rested on my son's back.

Edward laughed again and handed my son back to me. "How old is he now?"

"Almost ten months." I strapped Harry in his highchair and looked through the opening between the dining room and kitchen where Edward was. "What _are_ you doing here?"

"Oh. Well. Hm." Edward frowned and looked down at the counter while I resisted the urge to laugh. He was kind of adorable.

_Shit._ I felt my face flush again so I quickly turned to check on Harry and calm myself down. I'd known Edward for a long time, but only because I was friends with Jacob, and he and Jake had played football together. Well, they played football _against_ each other most of the time, but they never let that get in the way of their friendship. The only thing that even threatened it was Bella, and in the end Jake won that. The three of them had always stayed close, too. Edward was Willow's godfather, and he was there when Jake took his last breath.

Nevertheless, I'd never really looked at Edward the way I was just then. Sure, he was handsome, with his pale skin, coppery hair, and bright green eyes. But… he was _Edward. _He was Jake and Bella's shy friend who was always there in the background, quiet and content.

Of course, I was always too wrapped up in Sam to notice anyone else anyways.

Thinking about Sam brought a strange pang to my heart so I quickly strode into the kitchen, pulled out plates for Edward and I, and started chopping up fresh fruit for Harry.

"I guess I just wanted to check on you," Edward finally answered as he opened the box and started dishing out pizza.

"Check on me?"

"I mean Harry," he recovered quickly and I hid my smile.

"It's okay. You can ask me."

"Ask you what?" he batted his eyelashes innocently and I laughed quietly.

"I left him. Things hadn't been going very well after Harry was born, and I didn't want my son to be raised in a house where his parents hated each other, so I left," I told him as honestly as I could. There were some things I wasn't ready to talk about just yet.

"I think that's very brave of you. Reminds me of my mom." Edward gave me a gentle smile and handed me a plate. I grabbed the fruit I'd cut up for Harry and carried both of them into the dining room. He banged his hands happily on his highchair when he saw me and I head Edward laugh from the kitchen.

"There's beer in the fridge, can you grab two?" I called after I sat down. Edward appeared a moment later with his own plate and two drinks. "Thank you."

Edward nodded and sat down. He made a funny face at Harry, which caused him to laugh and squeeze a piece of watermelon in his hand.

"So, I thought your parents were the perfect couple. What did you mean about your mom earlier?"

"Oh, Carlisle is actually my stepfather, didn't you know that? He had Emmett and my mother had me when they got married. Alice came along a few years later, of course," Edward explained between bites of pizza. "My biological father wasn't the nicest man, so Mom got out." He finished with a shrug while I watched him.

"I had no idea," I murmured and pushed my pizza crust around my plate. It wasn't as if I'd really known Edward's parents, but the few times I'd met them they seemed like the perfect couple.

"It's not that big of a deal anymore," Edward said as he sipped his beer. "Ancient history, really."

"So," I changed the subject. "How do you like being a doctor?"

Edward grinned and folded his hands under his chin. "It's amazing. The hours are awful and I never sleep, but I love it."

"Sounds like being a single parent." I laughed and Harry threw a handful of fruit onto the ground in response. "See?"

"Yeah, being a doctor is pretty messy too," he deadpanned and I choked on my beer.

"I said I was sorry about that! He couldn't help it!"

"It's fine. Almost as bad as the time I got hit in the head with a football by a girl…" Edward trailed off and looked at me over his beer bottle.

My jaw dropped. "You remember that?"

"Leah, you nearly knocked me unconscious and then you ran away."

I snorted. "I'm sorry!"

"I spent months thinking that I'd done something to you that made you want to _kill_ me with a football."

"I don't know my own strength sometimes," I told him. Edward shook his head and glanced at Harry.

"It was worth it, I guess. Both incidents," he said with a soft smile and my stomach filled with butterflies.

Harry yawned before I could respond to Edward, so I stood and pulled him out of his chair.

"I need to give this guy a bath and get him ready for bed. Will you stay?" I added the last question almost inaudibly.

"Yeah." Edward nodded and gathered up our dishes and carried them into the kitchen.

"You can turn on the television if you want!" I called as I carried Harry down the hall. After I bathed and dressed my son I found Edward in the living room on the couch. I handed him Harry with a smile while I fixed my son a bottle.

When I returned Edward was holding Harry underneath his arms and they were nose-to-nose.

"He looks like you," Edward said before lifting my son up and dropping him back down. Harry grinned and reached his little hands toward Edward's face, so Edward pretended to bite his fingers.

"Yeah, a lot of people say that." I sat next to Edward and Harry immediately reached for the bottle in my hands and settled himself in Edward's arms. "I think he likes you."

"I kind of like him, too."

My throat tightened at Edward's words and soft smile. At the way he ran his hand over Harry's dark hair and touched his little fingers. I didn't know what Edward was doing at my house, and to be honest I didn't want to think about it. I _liked_ that he was there; and even more than that…I think I _wanted_ him there.

"I should get him to bed," I said with a nod to Harry, whose eyes were starting to droop.

"Oh, yeah. I should go. I didn't mean to stay so long, I just wanted to…"

"To what?" I lifted Harry into my arms and turned to Edward. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet.

"I'm not really sure, Leah. I just saw you the other night and couldn't stop thinking about you."

My eyes pricked with tears and I blinked them away quickly and forced a smile.

"That's sweet of you, Edward. Thank you," I responded and clutched my baby tighter. I wanted to touch Edward: to squeeze his hand and feel his skin against mine, even for just a second.

"I'll see you around, Leah," he said quietly and touched the top of Harry's head that nestled in my neck. His fingers brushed against my cheek and I shivered.

"Goodnight, Edward," I whispered as he opened the door and slipped into the hall. I closed the door behind him and carried my son to his room. My skin still tingled from Edward's touch, something I wasn't used to. I had been with Sam so long that I didn't even know what another man's touch would feel like, but now that I did…I wasn't so sure I would be able to forget it.


	3. Thanking

**No copyright somethingsomething intended or something.**

**Your response has been fabulous, I'm so in love with you all. And ThatIsRiddik and killerlashes. **

**Sideboob: This will ultimately be a story about Edward's relationships with Leah and Bella. If you are concerned about the pairing, feel free to contact me via PM and I will be more than happy to discuss it with you...but if read any of my last few stories, then you should already know what the outcome will be! ;) **

Pulling Heaven Down – Thanking

**Leah**

"So, you thought it would be okay to just give some random guy my address and send him over, huh?" I cradled the phone on my shoulder and leaned on the counter of the little bookstore I managed and tried to hold back my laughter.

"He's not a strange guy! He's Edward!" Bella exclaimed. "Willow, Mommy said no more cookies," she said before returning her attention back to me. "Sorry, she's been pushing every button lately…"

I twisted the phone cord around my finger and looked at Harry sleeping soundly in his pack-n-play. I was lucky enough to find the job at the store before I moved, and had saved up enough while still in La Push to get the little apartment Harry and I lived in. The store owner was really good to me and Harry, too. She understood how much daycare cost and when Mrs. Cope, the elderly woman next door, couldn't watch Harry I was allowed to bring him to the store with me.

Our store was just a small children's bookstore, but it did well and the pay was decent enough to keep me afloat without having to dip too much into my savings. Mom helped out when she could, but I didn't like to rely on her too much.

Of course, I didn't rely on Sam at all.

"Sorry. Time for some tough love?" I asked.

"It's so hard," Bella whispered.

"I know, but-"

"I just can't, Leah. I can't talk about it…" she trailed off and I sighed into the phone. "Have you talked to Sam?"

"I can't talk about it," I repeated her words and could practically see her frown.

"Ugh. Fine. We were talking about _Edward _anyways."

"Oh, right. Harry seems to like him, which is strange because he usually hates men."

"Hm," was all she said.

"He's nice."

"Yes."

"You're being weird about this." I frowned.

"Am not," she huffed. "I've got to get back to work. I'll talk to you later."

"Later, then," I agreed and hung up the store phone. I tried not to think about Bella's tone and how little she had to say about Edward showing up at my doorstep. It had been her idea, after all.

In truth, it wasn't hard to not think about Bella, because all I could do was think about Edward. I was still sort of fixated on how kind it had been that he'd thought enough about Harry and me to drop by.

My life had been severely lacking in kind gestures lately.

I thought about it so much, actually, that after I dropped Harry off with Mrs. Cope the next day I made a detour to Harborview on my way to work. I was ridiculously early, so I stopped at a little coffee shop that I liked to frequent (whose prices and drinks brought Starbucks to their knees) and bought two of my favorite coffees. I carried them both over and entered through the emergency room door, just as I had the night Harry was sick. This time the feeling was different, though. This time I wasn't scared out of my mind…I was nervous.

"Hi, can I help you?" The pretty nurse at the counter smiled up at me. I glanced around quickly before meeting her gaze.

"Um, I'm here to see Edwa- Dr. Cullen," I told her as I clutched the coffees in my hand. Her eyes widened as recognition crossed over her face.

"You were here the other night, right? Sick little boy?" she asked as she stood up.

"Yeah. That's me."

"I'll page Dr. C for you." I watched as she picked up the phone and pressed some numbers before I realized she was actually _paging _him. I didn't even know people still had pagers. "He should be here shortly. How's your little guy?"

"He's doing great, thanks for asking." I smiled as warmly as I could, though my insides felt like they were slowly tying themselves together.

"Dr. C takes good care of the little ones," the nurse explained. The thought of Edward spending special time taking care of kids loosened the knot in my stomach, but the sight of him rushing down the hall in his pale blue scrubs tightened it right back up.

His hair was messy and his eyes were tired with dark circles under them: he'd obviously been here for a while. He didn't even notice me standing there.

"Heidi? What's wrong? Is it Mr. Thomas?" Edward's voice was hoarse.

"No, nothing's wrong, Dr. C. You have a visitor." Heidi nodded her head toward me and Edward's expression immediately changed. He smiled widely and came around the counter as if he were going to sweep me up in his arms or something. To be honest, I kind of wanted him to.

"Hi."

"Hi. I brought you coffee." I held out the cup and his smile grew.

"Perfect. C'mon." Edward quickly took my hand and led me through the hospital. He was silent, his face determined, as we walked through the halls. I didn't ask where he was taking me; I just let him lead me until we came to an automatic glass door that opened up to a small garden courtyard. "Well, _now_ it's perfect." Edward grinned and pulled me to a bench in the middle of the garden.

"Hi," I said again, feeling my cheeks flush and realizing that Edward was still gripping my free hand.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I wanted to…thank you," I explained.

"Thank me?" Edward frowned. "What for?"

"For the other night- coming by and checking on Harry. That was very kind of you. I can't remember the last time someone did something so nice for us."

"Well, if showing up on your doorstep gets you here with coffee a few days later, I think I'll do it more often," Edward chuckled and I nudged him with my shoulder.

"I just really appreciate it, that's all. It's nice to feel like someone cares," I muttered to my coffee cup and took a cautious drink.

"Good," he said softly. I turned and met his bright green eyes, and the knot was back. I wanted him to care, but at the same time…I knew I wasn't ready for it. "Where's Harry?"

"He stays with my neighbor most days. She's great with him, and she's cheap," I joked and he smiled.

"You work?" Edward raised his eyebrows and I nodded.

"I manage a little book store over on 23rd, The Nook."

"I never imagined you in a bookstore," he mused and sipped his coffee, his eyes still on my face.

"No? I love everything about books. How they feel, the smell, holding them…"

"The words?" Edward teased with a smile.

"That too. I used to read to Harry when I was pregnant with him and I try to read to him everyday, too."

"Good. That's good for babies, you know."

"So I've heard."

We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, enjoying our drinks and the scenery around us until Edward finally spoke.

"I'm glad you stopped by today, Leah," Edward finally said, his gaze set on something in the distance.

"Yeah…me too."

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**Updates from here on out will be a little more spaced. These were already prepared and I have no patience and couldn't wait. Sorry. :)**


	4. Befriending

**Let's just act like the first disclaimer counts from here on out, that way I don't have to keep thinking of them and you don't have to keep reading them. Yay! **

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**Bye.**

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Pulling Heaven Down – Befriending

**Edward**

"You gonna eat that?" Emmett pointed to the half-eaten bagel on my plate and I shrugged.

"You can have it."

He grabbed the rest of it and shoved the whole piece in his mouth. I grimaced as I watched him chew exaggeratedly with his big ugly mouth open.

"You're disgusting."

"I know," he laughed, spraying bagel crumbs over the front of his shirt.

I shook my head. "So, how's my nephew?"

"He's great. He walks everywhere and when he sees your picture he says 'that bum'." Emmett grinned.

"Bum? I'm working my ass off, man. How am I a bum?"

"I don't know, Rose taught him. And she says she misses your ugly mug, too."

"Sorry," I sighed and sipped my coffee. It was my first day off in nine days, and I'd finally managed to answer my brother's phone calls.

"It's cool. We get it. Just don't forget about the little people, you know? The ones who were there from the beginning, who supported you, who let you live in their guest room and-"

"Emmett!" I laughed.

"Just don't leave us hanging. I know you're busy with work and Bella and the kid, but we miss you."

"I know. And I only see Bella and Willow once a week."

Emmett frowned. "I thought you two were getting all hot and heavy?"

"Really? 'Hot and heavy'? Who are you, Perez Hilton?"

"I'm just saying…"

"Bella and I are friends. That's _all,"_ I said firmly to my coffee cup; Emmett grunted and folded his arms over his chest, a wordless "my bad". "So, I ran into Leah Clearwater last week."

"You mean Uley?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess." I shrugged. "I don't think Sam's in the picture anymore."

"Really? Why do you say that?"

"Because when she brought her kid into the ER she told me Sam wasn't in the picture anymore." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, there you go."

"He's a cool baby," I told him, smiling at the memory of Harry sticking his little fingers in my mouth and smiling up at me.

"You know who else is a cool baby? Your nephew."

"You're cute when you're jealous," I teased and he flipped me off.

Talking about Leah and Harry filled me with a strange aching in my chest. I hadn't seen Leah since the day she showed up at the hospital with coffee. I didn't have her number and it felt weird asking Bella for another girl's number. Not that Bella was my girlfriend or anything, but it still felt weird. I really wanted to see Leah again.

"I'll come over Monday night, how's that?" I asked as we cleaned up our table and exited the coffee shop.

"Satisfactory for the time being. I'll let the wife know." Emmett nodded and clapped me on the shoulder before heading down the street and back to his car. I headed in the opposite direction, on my way home for some peace and quiet before a thought crossed my mind. Quickly, I went back to the coffee shop and ordered a vanilla latte, the same kind that Leah had brought me, and left in the direction opposite of my building…to Leah's.

It didn't take me long, my tired legs working faster than I thought they could at the time, and before I knew it I was knocking on Leah's door.

"Edward!" she cried as she answered the door with Harry on her hip. "What are you doing here?" I tried not to smile as she pushed her messy hair away from her face and Harry grabbed a handful of it. "Ow, Mommy said stop."

"Um…well, I was just in the neighborhood and-"

"-and you thought you'd keep up your Friendly Neighborhood Stalker image?" Leah grinned and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes. And I brought you coffee." I held out the cup, which she gratefully took and gestured me inside. She set Harry on the ground and he took off crawling down the little hallway.

"You're really a godsend, you know?"

"So I've been told," I joked.

"Don't get cocky, Cullen." She glared at me and I held up my hands in defeat.

"Wouldn't dream of it, sweetheart."

"Come. Sit. Tell me about your life." Leah fell onto the couch and I followed. Harry pulled himself up and stood on shaky legs between our feet. I grinned and pulled him into my lap, eager to see his little smile.

He didn't disappoint.

"Not much to tell. First day off in nine days. Had breakfast with my brother. Thought about you."

"Not in the shower, I hope," Leah laughed and wrinkled her nose. I felt my cheeks burn.

"As if I'd ever tell you that."

"Gross, Edward."

"You started it," I teased.

"And I'm finishing it. So, what are you doing here?" She smiled and held out her hand to her son. He slapped it playfully and bounced on my lap.

"I told you. I was thinking about you. And this guy. You busy today?"

"Does it look like we're busy?" she looked down at her baggy t-shirt and gestured to Harry, who was in only a diaper.

"Do you want to be busy?" I asked quietly, really hoping she'd say yes.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Well, maybe you should get dressed first…" I trailed off and she hit me with a throw pillow. "I'm just trying to help you out!"

"C'mon, buddy." Leah lifted Harry from my lap and started down the hall. "Edward doesn't think we're good enough in our 'weekend casual' wear, can you believe it?" I heard her say before the bedroom door closed. A few minutes later she emerged with brushed hair and glossed lips, wearing shorts that accentuated her long legs and a tight tank top that clung to her frame.

All I could focus on was the unholy thoughts running through my head about how incredibly beautiful she was.

"What exactly were you thinking? I just want to be prepared for the little guy." She set Harry in the middle of the floor with some toys and headed into the kitchen.

"Um, I was actually thinking the zoo, if that's okay with you?"

Leah smiled. "Perfect. We haven't been yet."

I returned her smile, but more at the way she said 'we' instead of anything else. It was so obvious how much she loved her son, and I could tell she would do anything for him.

I played with Harry on the floor while Leah packed a bag full of diapers and snacks and then we headed out. She pulled a monstrosity of a stroller out of the hall closet, but I insisted on carrying Harry. I really did like him- Alice would be proud.

"He's got to be heavy, you sure you don't want to set him down?" Leah asked for about the fifth time since we'd left her apartment. I shifted Harry, who'd fallen asleep as soon as we hit the curb, and turned to look at her.

"Nah. He's not too bad." I smiled, though my arm was starting to ache a little bit. I switched him to the other side, just as we came upon the entrance of the zoo. Before I could reach for my wallet, Leah was in line purchasing our tickets. I frowned. _I _wanted to take _them_ to the zoo. She smiled smugly as she finally took Harry from my arms and settled him in the stroller as he slowly began to wake up. Once he was fully alert _everything_ excited him. It was fascinating to watch. I only wish I saw things through his eyes.

At one point I held him up against the glass of the penguin habitat and he banged his little fists against the wall as the birds swam by. He turned with each one, until I was sure he was going to give himself whiplash. Leah stood by quietly, but I was very aware of her eyes on us. I knew it had to be hard for her- some strange guy showing up out of the blue and taking her kid to the zoo, but I couldn't really help it. I'd told her already: I couldn't stop thinking about her.

It was strange that I'd known her for so long, but had never really felt drawn to her until the night she showed up at the hospital.

Alice would say it was fate or the stars colliding. Emmett would tell me it was a coincidence. Bella would make sure I knew Harborview was the closest hospital to Leah's house, and that's why she chose it.

I didn't really care why it was, I was just happy she ended up in my ER. Okay, not happy that Harry ended up in the ER, but happy to see Leah again, regardless.

We spent the majority of the day at the zoo, until afternoon clouds started to roll in and Harry started to get cranky. The walk back to Leah's apartment was slow but peaceful. She pushed Harry in his stroller and I walked beside her with my hands shoved in my pockets, willing myself not to touch her.

At her apartment building I folded up the stroller and carried it up the stairs. Inside, Leah put Harry down for a nap and returned to where I was waiting in the living room.

"Today was…a lot of fun." She smiled and reached out to take my hand. I took a deep breath as her fingers slipped into my palm and my own wrapped around them.

"Yeah, it was." I squeezed her fingers and then quickly let go of her hand.

"You want to stay? I can cook or we can order something…?

"No, I should go," I said quietly and watched as disappointment flitted briefly across her face. "But can I take you out? Tomorrow?"

Leah frowned. "I don't know if I can get a babysitter."

"So? Harry can come too." I shrugged and Leah's eyes widened.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course." I grinned and took her hand again. "So, I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Definitely," Leah said as she led me to the door.

"Okay." I stepped out into the hallway and turned back to her once more.

"Edward? You're forgetting something."

"I am?"

"Yeah." She smirked.

"What's that?"

"My phone number."


	5. Dating

**Thanks to my fave ladies for prereading and beta-ing and some other -ing words. **

**Big hugs to all of you, just 'cause. **

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Pulling Heaven Down – Dating

**Leah**

"Are you sure this is okay?" I smoothed my hands down the front of my short denim skirt and tugged at the flowery peasant blouse I'd just bought.

Angela smiled. "Yes! It's perfect, you just need those gold strappy sandals. Oh, and there's a Cheerio in your hair."

I snorted and ran my fingers through my hair. "I should probably shower before Edward gets here, then."

"Go ahead! We'll be fine," Angela replied and bounced Harry on her knee. She was my boss, the owner of The Nook, and practically begged me to baby-sit Harry when she heard me talking to Mrs. Cope.

I quickly showered and dressed, blow-dried my hair and put on a little makeup. Part of me was trying to talk myself out of dinner with Edward being a date, while the other part of me was giddy with the prospect of _having_ a first date. Of course, there was a much smaller, nagging part of me that knew I wasn't ready for this to _be_ a date. I wasn't ready to move on just yet. I was still married, though my heart had been out of it for some time, and I felt guilty for going out with Edward when I still had the remnants of that relationship hanging over me.

"It's just dinner, Leah," I muttered to myself, rolling my eyes as I exited my bedroom and followed the sound of voices down the hall. In the living room I found Edward, dressed in jeans and a dark green polo sitting on the floor with Harry while Angela watched from the couch with a dreamy expression on her face. I frowned at her and she shrugged.

_Hot, s_he mouthed, and I coughed a laugh. Edward turned to me quickly and I watched as a perfect grin spread across his lips.

"Hi," he greeted me as he stood up. "You look fantastic." He rubbed a hand nervously over his chest and I smiled.

"Thank you." My cheeks burned, but I ignored it. "Are you ready?"

"Definitely. I, uh, see you got a babysitter."

"Oh! This is my boss, Angela, sorry," I introduced them belatedly.

"Hardly a boss, I just own the store. Leah practically runs it," Angela explained and I blushed again.

"Whatever," I muttered as I scooped up my son and pressed my lips to his cheek. "Mommy loves you," I whispered against his skin. I could feel Edward's gaze on us as I sat Harry back down and turned to Angela. "I'll text you later."

"We'll be fine," Angela said cheerily as she waved us out the door. "Make good choices!"

I sighed as I closed the door behind me and Edward frowned.

"You okay?"

I nodded. "It's hard to leave him."

"We can stay in if you'd like. Or take him with us. I'd love to spend the time with both of you…"

Edward's hand slipped into mine as we spoke and my heart seemed to swell of the sight of him in that moment: endearing, honest, and completely eager for an opportunity to spend time with me _and_ my son. I almost caved and turned right back around to get Harry.

But I didn't.

"No. No, it's okay. You'll just have to distract me tonight." I smiled and squeezed his hand.

Edward laughed and nodded. "I can do that. I can definitely do that."

"Are we walking?" I asked as we exited my building and Edward shoved his hands in his pockets.

"If that's okay, yeah."

"No, it's perfect." I nodded and tried not to glance at where his hands were. I wanted to touch him, to feel his skin glide against mine even if it were only the palms of our hands.

"Perfect," he echoed and we continued walking.

"Do you know where you're going?" I asked after a few moments.

"Well, I had two evenings planned, so I'm going to my backup. It's a bit of a hike, though."

"Two evenings?"

"Yeah. One with Harry and one without."

"Oh," I whispered as we stopped at a crosswalk. Edward took his hands out of his pockets to push the button for us to cross and I stepped closer to him. His fingers accidentally brushed against mine…once, and then another time.

I glanced up at him as we waiting and his the corner of his mouth turned up, then he threaded his fingers with mine.

"Much better," he murmured, still not meeting my gaze. I laughed quietly as we started to walk across the street.

Our walk was quiet, but comfortable. Edward told me about his brother Emmett, and how he had a son a little older than Harry. He talked about his most recent dinner with Bella and I felt a little pang of jealousy and our conversation the other day suddenly made more sense. Bella and I had never really been close, but in the months since Jacob's death our friendship had grown a bit.

"Here we go." Edward stopped and I looked up.

"The Bookstore? Are you making me work?" I frowned and he laughed.

"It's a pub, you'll like it. C'mon." He pulled me inside and to a corner booth in the back. We slid in the rounded seat and settled next to each other, and he was right: I did like it. Of course, it was more because of the privacy of our booth and the proximity of his body to mine than anything else.

We ordered drinks and appetizers, and by my second beer my knees were pulled up into the seat and rested on Edward's thighs. His hand rested on my calf, fingers brushing over my skin and raising goosebumps in their wake.

"Did you really always want to be a doctor?" I asked, leaning my head against the back of the booth and watching the way he drank from a beer bottle. The smooth curve of his jaw was mesmerizing.

"When I was four I wanted to be a German shepherd." He grinned and I snorted loudly.

"So when did you change your mind?" I asked through my giggles.

"About the time Emmett started dragging me around the house with a jump rope tied around my neck. Mom thought he was trying to strangle me, and I would only bark in response. He got sent to time out and we both got lectures about tying things around our necks," Edward explained with a reminiscent smile.

"And it worked, I hope."

"Yes. We never tried that again."

"But…"

"Let's just say we've both got plenty of scars and leave it at that," he told me and then was quiet for a long moment. "My dad's a doctor, and I always looked up to him. He took me in like I was his own son from day one and I never forgot that, you know? I always wanted to be like him."

"Good answer," I said and gently brushed his hair from his forehead. It was a small gesture, but it made him smile and _God_, did I love it when he smiled.

"I wish I would have gone away to school or something. Seth always said I would've made a great librarian; I used to read to him when he was a kid, but I never thought about going to school for it or anything. "

"Why didn't you?"

"Why didn't I what?"

"Go to school?"

"I don't know. Things got tough after my dad died. Mom was having a hard time with bills and Seth and I were both in school. I started doing clerk work at the library senior year, but I never got to be too involved with anything else."

"You always worked there?"

"Until about three months ago, yeah."

"And now you're here."

"Now I'm here," I repeated.

"I'm glad you are."

My throat tightened and I nodded. There were so many reasons I was glad to be out of La Push. Reasons that I would probably never tell Edward.

We didn't order meals, just snacked on what we already had and finished our drinks. Edward paid the tab and led me out of our secluded corner, and on to the bustling street.

"Can I take you somewhere?" His hand cupped my cheek and his face was so close I thought he was going to kiss me.

"Yes," I breathed my answer and he smiled.

He took my hand again and we walked the streets in silence. I didn't care, though, the way he held my hand and occasionally glanced at me spoke volumes.

"I'll be right back," Edward said as he dropped my hand and disappeared around the corner of a building before I could answer. "Hey!" he whispered loudly a few moments later. "This way!"

"Should I be worried that I just willingly followed you into a dark alley?" I asked with a quiet laugh.

Edward grabbed my elbow and pulled me up a small flight of stairs. "Nah." He shook his head as he unlocked the door in front of us. "I'll keep you safe."

"I trust you," I whispered to his shoulder.

"Good," he replied without looking at me as he pushed the door open. "Careful, it's dark," he said as he took my hand once more. The door closed quietly behind us and I heard him shuffling around for a moment before the lights flicked on.

We were in an office.

"Where are we?" I frowned and he grinned.

"You'll see." He began walking and I followed quickly, not wanting to be left in the small office by myself. "Close your eyes," he said when I finally caught up with him.

"Edward…"

"Please?"

I closed them and felt his hands on my shoulders, turning my body around. He moved them down to my hips, his fingertips just brushing the skin between my skirt and top and I shivered at the contact.

"Are they still closed?"

"Yes," I grumbled.

"Okay." I felt his body press against mine briefly and then his breath on my cheek. "Walk carefully."

I did as he said with his hands guiding me the whole time, until he finally stopped walking and yanked me back against him.

"Are you ready?" he asked with his lips close to my ear. I nodded, unable to find my voice. "Okay. Open them."

I did as he asked and felt myself gasp as the sight in front of me.

There were books: rows and rows of shelves nearly as tall as the vaulted ceilings. Stained glass windows that were surely beautiful during the day were dark and ominous in that moment. My heart pounded in my chest at the sights in front of me.

"Where are we?"

"The library," Edward's voice was quiet behind me, so I turned to him. His eyes seemed to sparkle in the faint glow from the emergency lights. "I have a friend who cleans it at night. He left me the keys and turned off the alarm."

For a long moment neither of us said anything. I finally closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my chin on his shoulder and holding him tightly. I felt his hands press against my back and sighed.

"Let's go check them out, huh?" he said after a moment. I let him lead me through the aisles, letting my fingers trail over the spines of books as we walked. "Okay. You lead the way." Edward turned and gestured me in front of him. I smiled widely and took off, hearing his quiet laugh and footsteps behind me. I found an aisle I liked and paced it, touching softly before finally finding what I was looking for.

Edward covered my hand as I pulled the book off the shelf. "Read to me?"

I took a deep breath as we both sank to the floor, sitting much like we had at the pub. My knees rested against his as I opened _A Midsummer Night's Dream _between us.

"_Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour_

_Draws on apace. Four happy days bring in _

_Another moon; but, O, methinks how slow_

_This old moon wanes…_"

I read on, feeling Edward's eyes on me the whole time, until his fingers at my nape startled me.

"Sorry," he murmured and leaned down, to place a soft kiss under my ear.

"Edward." I shivered and pulled away from him.

"You're so beautiful," he said quietly as his fingers brushed down my neck. I swallowed thickly and closed my eyes. When I opened them his hand was back in his lap and his eyes were on the book in my hands.

"What's your favorite quote?"

I thought for a moment, my gaze locked with his, accidentally getting lost in those deep green eyes.

Hesitantly, I told him, "_We are such things as dreams are made on_."

Edward smiled, unaware that I was actually telling him my _second_ favorite quote, but it didn't really matter.

In fact, in the next instance nothing else mattered but the fact that Edward's hand was wrapped around the back of my neck and his lips were pressed to mine. I gasped quietly in surprise before responding in full force. The book fell from my hands as they knotted themselves in the front of his polo and pulled him closer.

I tilted my head, trying to deepen the kiss, to get as close as I could to him, to devour him or breathe him in- _anything_ that would let him know how he was making me feel at that moment.

And then he broke the contact and pulled away, his green eyes wide and bright. His shirt was still clutched in my hands and I was practically sitting in his lap.

"I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from. I didn't want it to happen like-" he rambled on before I clapped my hand over his mouth.

"Shut up. Just shut up," I said and he nodded.

Then I removed my hand and kissed him again.

So much for not being ready to date...


	6. Talking

**Ohai, happy Saturday. ThatIsRiddik and killerlashes do good things. Your reviews are love. Thank you for reading. XOXO**

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Pulling Heaven Down – Talking

**Edward **

"_Do you want to come in?" Leah asked once we reached her apartment. _

"_I think I should go," I said quietly as I brushed her hair from her face. She pouted, and I groaned, mumbling"Don't do that to me…" _

_Leah laughed quietly and wrapped her arms around my waist. "You'll call me?" _

"_I will." _

"_Don't let me down," she whispered with her lips close to mine. _

"_Wouldn't dream of it," I replied before closing the distance between us._

"Yo! Earth to Edward!" Emmett waved his hand in front of my face and I frowned.

"Huh?"

"How do you want your steak cooked?" he asked.

I waved my hand. "I don't care. Just don't drop it in the charcoal again."

"He won't. We got a new _gas _grill." Rose grinned and handed me Michael, my eighteen-month-old nephew.

"Bumbumbumbum," he rambled and smacked my face.

"Shit. I thought that was a joke," I muttered and blew a raspberry on his chubby, sticky little cheek. Rose's eyes widened and I laughed. Apparently Michael was in the habit of repeating everything he heard, hence me becoming "Uncle Bum".

"Watch it, Uncle Bum. Don't make me wash your mouth out with soap," she threatened with a perfectly manicured nail close to my nose. I pretended to be scared and made a face at Michael. He giggled loudly and squirmed out of my arms. I set him down and watched him run out the back door to Emmett. "We really do miss you."

I sighed and leaned against the counter. "I know. I'm sorry." I picked at my fingernails, still feeling her gaze on me. My phone vibrated in my pocket, giving me a distraction from my guilt.

I smiled at Leah's text and quickly replied before I slipped my phone back into my pocket.

"What's that all about?" Rose asked with a sly smile.

"What? Nothing." I muttered. "Just a text."

"From?"

"Leah," I confessed. My ears were _not_ going red. Nope, not at all.

"Oh, who is she again? A friend of Bella's?"

"Jake's, actually. They grew up in La Push together."

"Hm." She mused for a moment, her eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"What's with the face? Have you been talking to Emmett and the story he concocted about me and Bella and our torrid romance?"

She shrugged. "I don't know if he concocted anything, we just thought it was happening." With that impeccable trouble radar possessed by nearly all mothers of toddlers, Rose turned to scoop Michael up as he raced back into the kitchen too fast and nearly toppled into a cabinet head first.

I scratched my chin and thought for a moment. "Really?"

"Yes, really. You spend _a lot _of time with her and Willow."

"Well, _that_ doesn't mean anything. I care about them both."

"And Em mentioned this thing you had for Bella…" Rose trailed off and I rolled my eyes.

Michael tugged at my pant leg, chanting "Upupupupup bumbumbumbumbum!", so I hoisted him back into my arms. "I was _fifteen_," I was defending myself just as Emmett entered the kitchen.

"Talking about your crush on Bella?"

"That was a long time ago," I grumbled and jiggled my nephew.

"Whatever. I don't like the idea of you messing around with Leah Uley."

"Clearwater," I corrected him involuntarily. It worked better if I didn't think of her as married.

Rose looked between both of us before her gaze settled on me.

"What's the deal?"

"She's married," Emmett practically spat the words.

"Separated," I lied. Truth was, I didn't _know_ what was going on with Leah and Sam. He wasn't in the picture, and that's all I really saw. Maybe I needed to take off the blinders.

"Not divorced."

"Edward!" My sister-in-law stuck her hands on her hips and glared at me. I set Michael down and crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly defensive.

"Look. We went out on one date. I like her. I like her kid. We're not fucking or anything, we're just friends, and it's really none of your business!"

"She has a kid?"

"You're awfully sensitive for a guy who's 'just friends' with a _married_ woman." Emmett said while making little air quotes with his fingers, at the same time.

"I don't really know what's going on with me and Leah right now, so can we drop it?"

"Just be careful, man."

"Fine, got it. I'll be careful. Now, can I eat one of the only home-cooked meals I'm going to get this week, please? You guys know I don't get out much," I said, trying to play the "new doctor makes his brother feel guilty" card.

Rose nodded and gestured us into the dining room. Neither one of them mentioned my relationship with Leah again, though I left with my head full of questions, so I called her when I got home.

"Hi," she answered, and I could swear she was smiling.

"Hey." I settled myself into the couch in my little apartment.

It was quiet for a moment and then Leah laughed.

"What's funny?" I asked.

"This. You. I feel like a teenager," she admitted.

"Me too," I told her. "Did you work today?"

"Yes. I just got off a little while ago. Harry was asleep when I picked him up from Mrs. Cope's."

"Why do you sound sad about that?"

"I like to be able to put him to bed," she said quietly. She sighed and the thought of her sitting alone in her apartment, possibly feeling like a bad mother, tugged at my heart.

"But you'll be the first face he sees in the morning…"

"Very true. Good pep talk, Dr. Cullen."

I grinned at her comment and then took a deep breath.

"When can I see you again?" I asked.

"God, I was hoping you would ask that," she said with a breathy laugh.

"This weekend, then?"

"Yes, please," she answered.

"I'll call you."

"I know."

"Goodnight, Leah."

"Sleep well, Edward."

xXx

"How's the pasta? Is it almost done?" Bella asked from behind me at our usual Friday dinner. I stirred the pot and picked up a few noodles with the spoon before letting them fall back into the water.

"A few more minutes." I shrugged and bumped her hip with mine. Bella laughed and dug her fingers into my side. "Stoppit!" I yelped, and tried to move away. "You know I'm ticklish."

"I know. You shriek like a little girl, too," she teased and set her hands on my hips to move me away from the stove.

"What happens in the kitchen stays in the kitchen, B." I mussed her hair and hoisted myself up onto the counter.

"Don't want your new girlfriend to know about your weaknesses just yet?" she asked with her back to me. I frowned at the tone in her voice, but couldn't find it in me to argue with her. My dinner with Emmett and Rose took it all out of me. Part of me said to deny whatever it was she was thinking, but I knew that wouldn't be fair to Leah.

And honestly, I didn't want to deny anything…but I also didn't have a definition for my relationship with Leah. We'd only been out once.

"Edward?" Bella's voice pulled me from my thoughts and I frowned.

"Hm?"

"I asked how your dinner with Leah was."

"Oh. It was great. We had a great time. It was-"

"Was it great?" she smirked and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes. Shut up." I didn't want to talk about Leah. Okay, that was a lie. I didn't want to talk about Leah with Bella.

"Do you want a beer?" came her muffled voice from inside the fridge. "I got a six-pack of Shock Top."

"Sure." I took the bottle she handed me and opened it on my shirt. "How's Willow Pillow doing this week?"

"Fine." Bella turned to lean against the counter without meeting my eyes and rested her elbow on my thigh. I brushed my fingers through her long hair and heard her sigh.

"Why do you lie to me?" I whispered and she chuckled quietly.

"She just does things that are so out of character for her, Edward. I don't know what to do. She's so angry all the time."

I frowned and sipped my beer. I was, by no means, an expert on kids, but I did know Willow pretty well. She was more like Jake than Bella: easy-going, caring, and soft-spoken. Of course, without Jake around to model those behaviors, things were bound to go downhill. I couldn't even imagine the things that were going through her little head or heart.

"Want me to talk to her?" I asked, and Bella shrugged.

"I don't know if it will help, Edward. I think it's because she knows that the anniversary is coming up," she said quietly, and picked at the label of the bottle in her hand. I slid down from the counter and set my beer down, then kissed her forehead.

"I'll see what I can do." I left Bella alone in the kitchen and found Willow in her room playing with dolls. "Hey, buddy."

"Hi." Willow turned her dark eyes on me and I smiled.

"What are you doing?" I crouched down and took one of the dolls in my hand.

She shrugged. "Just playing." Okay, maybe more like Bella than I'd thought.

"Oh, yeah? Are you having a good day?"

"No. Mommy yelled at me!" She slammed the doll in her hand down and crossed her arms over her chest. Yep, just like Bella.

"Well, what happened to make Mommy mad?"

"I wrote on the walls with a crayon," Willow said through clenched teeth.

"Was that a good choice to make?"

"No," she whispered.

"Then why did you do it, sweetheart?" I asked softly and immediately regretted it. Willow's arms fell from her chest and her lower lip trembled as she mumbled something I couldn't hear. "What is it, baby?"

"I miss my Daddy!" she wailed and threw herself into my arms. I blinked back my own tears as I held her tightly because, fuck, I missed him too.

"I know you do. It's okay to miss him."

"It's not okay! It's not because he's never coming back and I _hate_ him for never coming back!" she cried as her little fists gripped my t-shirt tightly. I kissed her head and rubbed her back while she cried, trying the whole time not to cry myself.

"_You get uglier every time I see you, asshole," Jacob said with a wide grin and I couldn't help but smile back. _

"_You're one to talk," I teased and rubbed my hand over his bald head. _

"_Perks of cancer, dude." He smiled ruefully and patted the couch next to him. "How's school? You officially a doctor yet?" _

"_A few more months." _

"_I can't wait, man. We'll have a huge party." He'd smiled and I nodded, though both of us knew he wasn't going to make it to my graduation. _

After a moment, Willow's sobs became sniffles and she pulled away to look at me.

"I should tell Mommy that I'm sorry." The way she wrinkled her nose at the thought was her dad all over again, and I swallowed hard. _Miss you, man._

"That's a good idea," I agreed and she ran out of the room. I looked around and snagged a picture of Jake off her nightstand. I was lucky enough that my mother met Carlisle when I was very young, so I never knew what it was like to be without a father. I couldn't imagine what Willow's life was going to be like…or Harry's for that matter.

It had become blatantly obvious to me over the past few months that I was the main male figure in Willow's life, and I was okay with that. I'd told Jake I'd look after his girls and I meant it. But suddenly I realized that not only was it true for Willow…it was also true for Harry- if Leah would let me be that for him, of course.

Fuck, I really needed to figure shit out.

After we had dinner and Bella put Willow to bed, she got straight to the point. She was a lot like Emmett that way.

"I just want you to be careful, Edward. As much for her sake as for yours. No one really knows what's going on with Leah and Sam and I'd hate for you to be caught in the middle of it."

I didn't say anything as we finished washing the dishes but afterwards, when she offered me a glass of wine, I declined.

There was somewhere else I needed to be.

Half an hour later I was knocking cautiously on Leah's door.

"Edward!" she cried when she opened the door. I didn't even try to hide my smile when I saw her.

"Hi. I didn't realize what time it was. Harry isn't sleeping, is he?" I asked as she closed the door behind me.

"He is, but he sleeps like a rock, so it's okay." She smiled and put her hand on my chest. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you," I whispered and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Is everything okay?" she stepped closer and slipped her other hand behind my neck.

"Fine. Perfect." I hardly managed to get the words out before dipping my head and pressing my lips to hers. She kissed me back, more reserved than the last time that just outside her door after our date.

"I can't say that I'm disappointed," she laughed after we broke apart.

"Can we talk?" I asked, slipping my arms around her waist and burying my face in her sweet-smelling hair.

"Of course." She pulled my arms from around her and led me into the darkened living room where some late night show played in the background.

"I'm sorry it's so late," I told her as she pulled me onto the couch and threaded our fingers together.

"It's okay. What did you want to talk about?"

I sighed and leaned forward, resting my forehead on her shoulder. I kissed the skin exposed by her tank top and felt her shiver.

She laughed. "I thought you wanted to talk?"

"Sorry," I murmured and smiled apologetically. "I do."

"So…"

I covered her hand with both of mine and bit my lip.

"I like you a lot, Leah. But…"

"Always a but," she muttered and I tried not to laugh.

"There's not really a 'but'. I just like you, plain and simple. I like being around you, talking to you, spending time with you- and with Harry. _But_- I need to know what's going on with _you_," I emphasized the word and hoped she'd catch on, "before we pursue this."

Leah dropped her gaze to our hands and took a shaky breath.

"I told you I left him, and I meant that. My marriage is over. I haven't filed for divorce yet because, to be honest, I'm not ready to talk to him. I'm not ready to see him or be I the same room with him. I'm not ready for him to be around my son or-" She stopped and closed her eyes, steadying herself. "I'm sorry. My relationship with Sam no longer exists…and I wasn't sure I was ready to move on."

"I was afraid of that," I whispered and tipped her chin up so I could see her face. "We don't have to do anything you're not ready to do. If you want to keep this platonic that's fine with me. I just want to be in your life, Leah."

"I'm not really sure if 'platonic' is for me, Edward," she said with a rueful smile.

"I don't want to pressure you."

"You're not. I want this, whatever _this_ is."

"I was…really hoping you would say that," I said and watched her smile turn into a full-fledged grin. She reached up and ran a hand through my hair, then pulled my face closer to hers.

"I can't promise you it's going to be easy." She cupped the back of my neck and pressed her forehead to mine.

"That's okay, I'm not looking for someone easy," I said brushing her nose with mine.

It took a moment for my words to sink in and then Leah snorted quietly.

"I didn't mean it that way!" I pulled away and covered my face with my hand. "Shit."

"I know what you meant, Edward."

"Good," I sighed and leaned back against the couch smiling. It was nice to have some sort of direction now, some kind of idea of what I was getting myself into.

When she kissed me again I realized that maybe I actually had no idea what I was doing. But I was totally okay with that.


	7. Listening

**Ohai. ThatIsRiddik and killerlashes did double duty on this chapter because I'm needy. **

**I hope to answer your questions within the next three chaps. They're written and ready to go. **

**Thank you so much for reading, I'm gonna go batten down the hatches for an impending storm. (That just means I'm gonna make sure I have plenty of booze.) :D **

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down – Listening

**Leah **

"Do you want any more?" I asked as I untangled my legs from Edward's and picked up the half-empty pint of Ben and Jerry's.

"God, no," he groaned, eyeing his own empty pint of Half-Baked, and rubbed a hand over his flat stomach. "I haven't had ice cream in forever. I think my nightmares are gonna be full of angry lumps of cookie dough chasing me with butcher knives."

"I know that feeling," I laughed and carried the garbage into the kitchen. When I came back he was standing in front of my bookcase, looking at the shelf of pictures.

"That is a horrible haircut," Edward said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. I followed his gaze to a picture of me and Jake when we about eleven. It was all too obvious he wasn't talking about Jake.

"Poofy bangs were in," I protested, and rested my head on his shoulder. I felt him laugh and turned my face toward his. "He was a good friend."

"The best." Edward nodded and slipped his arm around my waist. "I should probably get going."

"Already?" I frowned up at him and he smiled.

"I've been here for three hours," he whispered to my temple.

"Oh." I was a little stunned that we'd been talking about nothing for three hours. Well, not really nothing. We'd mostly talked about our families and our jobs; we'd stayed away from big subjects (especially the four-hundred-pound elephant named Sam Uley in the room), but what I'd told Edward earlier was true. I hadn't been sure when he'd asked me out, but somehow I knew now I was ready to move on- and for it to be with _him_. "What's a couple more hours in the grand scheme of things?" I asked, with a glance at the clock.

"I have to be at work in forty-five minutes, Leah," he admitted sheepishly.

I pulled back, wide-eyed. "Edward!"

"I just started night shifts," Edward explained, as if that would make me feel less guilty about monopolizing what little downtime he had.

"You should've said something! You could've been sleeping! You'll be dead on your feet, and if you end up leaving a scalpel inside some old lady's pancreas, it'll be my fault for not shutting up!"

"Leah. Relax. I'll be fine. I'm not a surgeon, anyways." He smiled touched my cheek softly, and I felt myself blush. "I hardly sleep as it is."

"What are you, a vampire?" I asked, and he wrinkled his nose.

"Better," he laughed. "A doctor."

I shook my head and tugged at his shirt, drawing him into a kiss. "Can I bring you lunch?" I asked after I'd pulled away and led him to the door.

"I'd like that. Just text me so I know when to take a break." Edward kissed me again at the door and winked as he walked away. "Goodnight."

"Bye," I said, a little too dreamily and turned back inside, thankful that he couldn't see my flaming red cheeks.

I crawled into bed a few minutes later, feeling hopeful and a little nervous. It had been a long time since I'd felt so much happiness. The last time was before I got pregnant with Harry…before Jacob got sick…before everything fell apart with Sam…

I shook the thoughts from my head and pressed my face to the pillow, trying to keep my tears at bay. It was difficult, though. So difficult. Sam had been a part of my life for so long, and the way things had ended- how quickly we'd fallen out of love- still made my head spin.

And now there was Edward -sweet, kind, smart Edward. Edward who didn't care that there were things I couldn't tell him yet and still wanted to spend time with me. Edward who made me smile and made my head spin all at the same time. I could still feel his kiss on my lips when I finally fell asleep.

xXx

"He's really handsome," Angela said with a soft sigh the next day while we stocked shelves at the store. I rolled my eyes.

"And he's smart and funny and-"

"Yeah, yeah." She waved her hand in my direction. "And _handsome_."

"Okay, I got it. He's good-looking. _I know._"

"He seems very nice. Harry likes him, too."

I smiled and nodded. "It's kind of amazing. He doesn't usually take to men. Not that there are a lot of men in my life, I mean."

"Oh, sure," Angela laughed.

"He doesn't even really like my brother," I explained.

"Maybe it's a sign or something."

"Oh, shut up!" I smacked her with the paperback in my hand and she laughed harder. "We've been out once, I'm still _married_."

"So, what exactly are you going to do about that?" Angela turned with her hands on her hips and I sighed.

"I don't know," I told her and sat down next to the box of books. "I know what I _need _to do. And it's not for Edward, it's for me and Harry."

"Then you should do it," Angela said softly as she joined me on the floor. I gave her a sad smile and blinked back my tears. In the three months I've worked for her we'd gotten to know each other pretty well. She was the first person I could trust to be an unbiased party in my situation, and that meant a lot to me.

"It's hard."

"I can't imagine what you must be going through, Leah. But I'm sure that being able to make a fresh start with Edward will only help your relationship."

I silently agreed and checked my watch. "I'm going to take Edward lunch, I might be a little late," I said as I stood up.

"Take your time." Angela waved her hand in my direction and stayed on the floor. She opened a book and grinned. "I'll be right here."

I sent Edward a text and swung by the little deli on the corner to pick up lunch. The bus wasn't the best choice to take to Harborview, but I wasn't sure about parking at the hospital so I opted against driving. Edward was waiting outside the double doors of the ER when I finally arrived.

He smiled and kissed my cheek, then took my hand without a word, much like my last visit. Only this time he led me up four flights of stairs to an empty roof.

"You kind of have a thing for grand gestures, don't you?" I asked dryly. He laughed loudly, his head thrown back and eyes shining.

"I like to be alone with you," Edward explained. I raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't comment further. "Have a seat. It's a great view of the city." He led me to a ledge that was thankfully over another wing of the hospital and not a street. I wasn't afraid of heights or anything, but the thought of being that far up was a little nauseating.

We ate quietly for a moment and watched the city below us, all those people unaware that we were there, and I thought about the first time I met Edward- what felt like an eternity ago.

"_Who's that?" I jerked my head toward a tall, slim guy crossing the parking lot with Bella, Jacob's new girlfriend. _

"_That's my good buddy, Cullen. He's about to get schooled on how we do things here on the Rez," Jacob answered with a grin. _

"_How do you know him?" _

"_Oh, he's a friend of Bella's." _

"_Old boyfriend?" I smirked and he tugged at the end of my braid. _

"_Not a chance. She's all mine." _

"_Well, she hasn't always been, you know." _

_Jacob pretended to puke. _

"_Does it bother you that your delicate flower Bella may have-" _

"_Clearwater! Shut up!" he yelled and wrapped me in a headlock. I screeched and pushed him away, then kicked him in the shin for good measure._

"_Oh, good to know he's a jackass off the field, too," a smooth voice interrupted my assault of my friend and I turned. _

_Jacob laughed loudly and pulled Bella into his arms, while his friend and I stood awkwardly for a moment._

"_I'm Edward," he said as he held out his hand. I shook it quickly and gave him a rare smile. _

"_Leah," I told him. "You play for Forks?" _

"_No, he just stands out on the field and looks pretty," Jacob interjected and Bella laughed. Edward just shrugged as the tips of his ears turned pink. _

"_I'm good at what I do." He winked at me and I rolled my eyes. _

"_Whatever, pretty boy. Get ready to put your money where your mouth is." Jacob slapped the football against Edward's chest and the two of them ran off, leaving me alone with Bella. Not that it was a problem, we'd just never really hung out before. Of course, these days, spending time with Jake meant spending time with Bella...I was still getting used to that. _

"_So, Edward's your friend?" I asked as we took a seat on the side of an empty field the boys were using to scrimmage. _

"_Why do you say it that like that?" Bella wrinkled her nose and turned to me. _

"_Like what? I was just curious as to how you knew him. Jake seems to be okay with him hanging around." _

"_I've known Edward since middle school. He's a good guy, but we've always been 'just friends'," she explained as she made little air quotes around the words. _

"_Nothing more?" I prodded. _

"_Nope." She shook her head with her eyes on Jake. "Not for me anyways." _

"_Ah." I understood now. _

"_It was nothing, really. I'm with Jake now. And they really like each other." _

"_Aren't you afraid that they'll turn to each other one day?" I teased and she snorted. _

"_That'd be a story to tell, wouldn't it?" _

Thinking of his lack of sleep, I asked "Have you been busy today?" as I picked a slice of tomato off my sandwich and set it in the container. Edward shrugged, picked up the tomato, and popped it in his mouth.

"Not too bad. You?"

"No. Saturday is usually pretty busy, but it's been kind of slow all week. A big chain bookstore just opened down the street."

Edward laughed. "It's like _You've Got Mail_, or something."

"You like chick flicks? I never would've guessed," I teased him.

"Shut up." He grinned and tossed a potato chip at me.

I wrinkled my nose. "It's endearing. You can tell me all about _The Notebook_."

"Yeah, yeah. Keep laughing." Edward grinned, checked his watch, and stood up. "I've got to go."

"Already?" I felt myself frown, and he nodded, then held out his hand to help me up. We cleaned up our trash and he led me back downstairs.

Outside the double doors he kissed me thoroughly enough to make me dizzy and then very quietly whispered, "_The Notebook_ made me cry."

I just shook my head as he walked backwards back to the hospital.

Back at the store Angela actually was in the same place I left her. She shrugged and grinned when I saw her, but didn't move.

"I got caught up," she explained. "I figured you would, too."

That made me smile. "Almost."

"Better than nothing."

I left her where she was and finished stocking the shelves, then did some inventory, and got our deposit ready. I was helping a customer when I heard the bell on the door, and turned, expecting another customer.

Even though I'd seen him many times, I couldn't help but be a little startled at Emmett Cullen standing in my store, looking like an amiable Hulk in a dollhouse.

"Emmett! What are you doing here?" I stepped away from my customer and made my way to him.

He gave me a small smile and shrugged. "Do you have a minute?" he asked. "I'd like to buy you a cup of coffee."

"Um…yeah. Just give me a second." I went back to Angela to tell her I was stepping out, though I couldn't give her an explanation, because I honestly had no idea why Emmett was there.

There was a small coffee shop a few doors down where Emmett and I settled, and he turned serious.

"So…" I started, but Emmett cut me off.

"What are you doing with my brother?"

I sat back, stunned, and then narrowed my eyes at him, my hackles rising at once. Of all the _nerve! _"I don't know. What has your brother told you?"

Emmett shrugged and crossed his arms over his wide chest. "Nothing."

"Then there's your answer." I sipped my coffee in order to keep me from talking. _Nothing_ wasn't exactly the way I would describe Edward and me, but where the hell did Emmett get off thinking he had a right to know?

"I don't believe him."

I clenched my fists under the table. "You should, Edward's very honest."

"Please, you've known him for what? Three weeks?" Emmett scoffed.

"I've known Edward- and _you_- for years. What's the big deal?"

"I just don't want my brother getting into something over his head, Leah," Emmett said, his tone a little softer than before.

"Because I'm married with a kid, you mean?"

"…yes."

"I understand your concern, Emmett. But what you have to understand is that Edward is a grown man and, while it's none of _your_ business, my marriage is over and my son is my main priority. I wouldn't bring a strange man into his life if I thought it wasn't going to turn into something more."

"I'm just-" Emmett started, but I cut him off.

"You're just being an Alpha male, which works for you, really. I'm sure your wife loves it," I said sarcastically. "Be that as it may, you stick to your own pack, okay, because Edward's a big boy and I'm not forcing him into anything."

"But you're-"

"A single, hardworking mother, who has all intentions of filing for divorce, and has only been on _one_ date with your brother?"

He grumbled something incoherent.

"Is that _really_ why you came here? Because you're worried about Edward falling victim to my wild and wicked ways?" I asked, my mood softening just a little.

Caught out, Emmett pouted. "Maybe."

"That would be really sweet, if you weren't such an asshole about it."

"Leah. I can't _imagine_ what my brother sees in you," Emmett said dryly, though he was smiling.

I grinned. "It's my sunny disposition."

"I'm an asshole. I'm sorry, but…"

"I get it." I nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. "But next time you impugn my reputation you're going to have to buy me a beer, and not coffee. Got it?"

"Deal."

"I care about Edward a lot, Emmett. I'm sure he's told you that we've only been out once, but like I said before, my son is my main priority. I'm sure you understand that."

"I do."

"Then you understand that this is not something I'm taking lightly. As much as I'd like to jump headfirst into a relationship with your brother, I'm not. I know there are things I have to take care of before I can do that. But…I want to, Emmett. I want to be able to do this right."

"I guess that's good enough for me," he said quietly and I laughed.

"With all due respect, Emmett, I don't really care if it's good enough for you."

"Oh, I know."

We parted ways after that, my head spinning. Never in a million years would I have expected that _Emmett_ of all people would show up.

Part of me expected Bella, though I knew that would never happen. As much as Bella cared about Edward, she had enough on her plate to worry about.

And, then again, I didn't really care _what_ they thought, and everything I'd told Emmett was true. It had only been a few weeks, but I wanted to pursue this (whatever _this_ was) with Edward.

The best thing was that I knew he felt the same.

Emmett's confrontation had at least one good outcome, however.

I knew what I had to do to make sure I had that "fresh start" with Edward.

It wasn't going to be easy, though, and I wasn't going to be able to do it alone, either.


	8. Deciding

**My girls still take good care of me even when I re-send them the same thing over and over because I'm a little nuts. **

**This chapter might be a little angsty, js. **

**Thank you for reading. XOXO**

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down – Deciding

**Edward**

"Sorry, we're closed," I heard Leah call as I opened the door of The Nook.

"It's just me," I yelled back.

Her head popped out from behind a shelf, and I smiled.

"Hey, just you. I'll be there in a minute. Can you lock the door?"

"Sure thing." I locked the door behind me and leaned against the counter, waiting. Leah smiled when she saw me and I resisted the urge to pull her into my arms and kiss her, but she'd sounded upset when she called, so I waited.

"I'm glad you're here," she said as she stepped cautiously to me. I held out my hand and she let me pull her across the distance and she rested her head under my chin.

"You scared me when you called," I explained and slid my fingers into the hair on the back of her neck.

"Can you come over? I know we talked last night, but…"

"Yeah," I responded quickly and kissed her hair. "Whatever you want."

"I'm sorry. I know you must be tired."

"It's fine. Just tell me what's going on in that pretty little head of yours."

"It's a lot," she mumbled.

"Then we should go."

She nodded and pulled away. I watched as she locked up the store and she turned to me once we were out on the street.

"Did you drive here?"

"No. I took the bus," I explained.

"My car's just around the building." Leah led me to an SUV around the corner and we climbed in. I accidentally sat on a stuffed frog, which squeaked indignantly at me, and she laughed softly. "Sorry, you wouldn't believe what it takes to keep him happy on car rides," she said and tossed the frog into the empty carseat in the back.

"I bet," I mused quietly, though I really had no idea…I wanted to, though.

Leah drove in silence, biting her lip and casting glances at me.

"You okay?" I finally asked, then reached over and took her right hand off the steering wheel.

She gave me a weak smile and pulled her hand from mine. "Yeah."

_Fuck_. We'd just talked about moving forward with our relationship not even twenty-four hours ago, and now she was distant. I knew it'd only been a few weeks, but I felt like I'd really gotten to know her and this quietness _wasn't_ her.

"I'm going to get Harry. I'll be right back, okay?" Leah said as she opened the door to her apartment. A moment later she reappeared, baby in tow. He reached out his little hands to me. I grinned and pulled him into my arms.

"Hey, little guy. You miss me?" I kissed his cheek and melted a little at the way he smiled up at me.

"I think he did," Leah said quietly and kissed Harry's head. "Let's sit."

"You're really worrying me, Leah." I frowned as I settled on the couch with Harry. He yawned and rested his head on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry!" she cried and covered her face with her hands. "I'm just…I have so much in my head right now." Harry started at her outburst and squirmed. I set him on the floor and watched him crawl toward a pile of toys.

"I'm listening," I whispered and brushed her hair from her face.

"Your brother came to see me today."

"My- _what?"_ Oh, Emmett was gonna _get_ it.

"Brother? Emmett, very large, seems to think you're the damsel in distress and I'm the villain with the mustache?" Leah smiled sardonically. "He came to the store. He's very protective of you, you know."

"That _asshole,"_ I said through clenched teeth.

She snorted. "That's what I said. He had some valid points, though."

"Like what?"

"I'm still married, Edward. And, the fact is, that once I file for divorce things are going to get messy. I don't know how Sam's going to react, and I don't want you to be dragged into all of it."

"You're getting ready to end your marriage and you're worried about me? Leah, let's be real about this." I tried not to laugh and she shoved me lightly. "I told you last night, I want to be part of your life. But we can slow it down a little if you want."

"That's the thing, Edward. I don't _want_ to. I know we have to, though. I want to leap into this, but there is so much I have to think about," Leah finished with a trembling voice.

"Then we'll think about them together," I told her as I framed her face with my hands.

She shook her head. "I can't let you do that. I can't put you in the middle of my divorce."

"Then let me be on the side, Leah. I'm here for you. And for Harry."

"I just don't know, Edward. I know we talked about it yesterday, but my conversation with Emmett really made me question some things," she sighed and pulled away from my grasp.

"Think about it, Leah." I took her hand and gently kissed her knuckles. "That's all I'm asking."

She squeezed my hand and wiped a tear from her cheek with her other one. "I will."

"I'm going to go now, but that doesn't mean I want to." I stood up and she followed. I gazed down at Harry, who was banging happily on a toy keyboard and smiled.

"I don't want you to either," she whispered.

"I'll call you tomorrow. And I trust you, whatever you decide," I said as we made our way to the door. She nodded and wrapped her arms around my neck. I held her tightly and kissed her cheek, but Leah took my face in her hands and brought my mouth to hers. I kissed her back, hoping she understood exactly how I felt.

I left without another word, knowing that if either one of us spoke there would be no leaving or deciding.

xXx

**Leah **

After Edward left, I couldn't do anything but scoop my son into my arms and fight my own tears. I should have known better than to get involved with someone so soon- so quickly, but the truth was that I'd never been drawn to someone like I was drawn to Edward. I had never even felt that way about Sam, and while I was completely terrified about the whole situation, I really wanted to see where it was going to go.

I tried not to think about how disappointed Edward had looked as he walked away, but I knew it was for the best. I wanted him in my life, of that I was certain.

When Harry was sound asleep, I picked up the phone to call my mother. When my father had died, she'd worked with a lawyer to sort out his will, and I had a feeling I was going to need some legal advice if I was really ready to go through with my divorce.

"Hey, sweetheart," she answered the phone, and I immediately felt tears well up in my eyes.

"Hi," I managed.

"What's wrong?" Those two words were enough to break down my walls, enough for me to let everything go.

I told her about Edward and our date. About how good he was with Harry and how he made me feel. I told her my fears about Sam, though she already knew everything that had happened between us. If it weren't for her, Harry and I would still be stuck in La Push.

"_Jesus Christ, Leah. Can't you make him stop crying?" I could hear Sam's angry voice from our bedroom and held Harry closer to me. _

"_It's okay, Mommy's here," I whispered and rocked him gently, willing him to stop. _

"_Seriously. Are you incompetent or something? Make him stop." His voice was closer now, just down the hall. _

"_He's a baby, Sam. It's how he communicates," I explained through clenched teeth. _

"_Well, some of us have to fucking work in the morning, so fix it," he said before slamming our bedroom door. I sighed and kissed my son's head before carrying him out into the living room. It wouldn't be the first night we'd spent out here together. _

"What now? What do you need? We'll do whatever it takes."

"I need a lawyer. A good one. I haven't spoken to Sam and I don't know what he's going to want to do," I sighed, and leaned back against the couch, emotionally spent.

"What about Edward?"

"He's amazing, Mom. He really is. I don't want to drag him into anything…"

"But?"

"Always a but," I laughed to myself.

"What's that, sweetie?"

"Nothing. He says he wants to be in my life…no matter what."

"Then you let him be, Leah."

"But Mom, I-"

"No, Leah, you listen to me. I've known the Cullens for a long time. Edward is a good man. If he wants to be in your life, then you let him. Not many men want to come into a ready-made family."

"_Where have you been?" I asked as I flipped the kitchen light on. Sam blinked and then settled his gaze on me. _

"_None of your business," he muttered and pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator. _

"_You're my husband, Sam. It is my fucking business." _

"_Is it, now? You think because there's a ring on your finger and a kid sleeping down the hall that you own me, don't you? Guess what, sweetheart, you don't." His gaze and voice were full of menace as he backed me up against the counter. _

"_You reek. Where have you been?" I asked again, not ready to back down just yet. _

"_Out." He shrugged and backed away from me; as he did, I caught a glimpse of the side of his neck, and the unmistakable mark of lipstick just under his ear. _

"_Who is she?" I practically spat the words, they hurt as they came out. _

"_What the fuck are you talking about?" _

"_You heard me, you asshole." _

"_Watch your mouth, Leah. I put this roof over your head and-" _

"_And I take care of it and raise your son while you're out doing God only knows what- or who? Go to hell, Sam." I turned to walk out of the kitchen, but he grabbed my arm and yanked me back with such force that I was knocked off guard. My back hit the counter and before I could right myself, the sting of his hand on my cheek sent me off again. _

_I put my hand to my cheek, stunned as tears filled my eyes. When I met his gaze his own eyes weren't even surprised. It was determined and...frightening. _

"_Don't ever touch me again," I managed to say. _

"_Don't worry," he practically spat the words. _

_If only it really were the last time._

"What if it doesn't work out?" I asked as I blinked back my tears, thinking more about Harry than myself.

"What if it _does?"_

"I don't know, Mom."

"He makes you happy, doesn't he?" Her voice was quiet and I felt my throat tighten.

I didn't answer for a long moment.

"Leah?"

"I think he could, yes."

"Then let him."

"Can you come here? I need you here." I changed the subject quickly and heard her sigh.

"Of course. I'll be there first thing in the morning. We'll get it all sorted out."

"Thank you," I whispered into the phone.

"I love you, Leah. I'm sorry this is happening."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

I hung up the phone and went to check on Harry, only to find him sleeping soundly. Part of me wished he was awake so I could hold him and love on him, but I didn't dare wake him. After he was born, I would sit and watch him for hours until Sam would make me come to bed. Those were the good nights. The nights before things changed- before Sam stopped coming home.

I shook the thoughts out of my head and made my way to my bedroom. My phone buzzed in my hand and I smiled.

_Guess I couldn't wait until tomorrow. Goodnight, beautiful. _

I didn't respond, even though I really wanted to. I knew we both needed time to think and to slow down a little bit. It was hard to do, because I wanted nothing more than to talk to Edward at that moment. To tell him what I'd decided- what I was going to do. Because, hopefully, it would affect both of our futures.


	9. Dealing

**Happy Labor Day! Hope you are enjoying a day off, I know I am! **

**Thanks to ThatIsRiddik and killerlashes for keeping me on my toes (ha!) and to you for reading. :) **

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down – Dealing

**Edward **

"Seriously, Emmett. Was going to her work necessary? You could have just talked to me." I leaned back against the cot in the on-call room and frowned, wishing I were having this conversation face-to-face instead of over the phone. Well, wishing I didn't have to have it at all, really.

"Dude, I know it was a dick move, okay? She made that perfectly clear already."

I smiled at the thought of Leah setting my brother straight. "Good. I'm glad."

"I think she really cares about you…." He trailed off.

"And?"

"And I'm sorry. There. Happy?"

"I guess," I shrugged and rolled, resting the phone against my cheek.

"What's wrong, little brother?"

"Nothing. She just- took a lot of things you said to heart."

"Oh," he muttered.

"It's fine. She's got some things to work through and I'm…"

"I get it. Again, I'm sorry."

"I like her a lot, Em. And the kid. I just…I want to see where it goes," I explained with a heavy sigh.

"You sound like a girl, Edward."

"You're an asshole."

"Funny, that's what your girlfriend said," he teased.

"Fuck you," I grumbled.

"Talk to you soon!" Emmett laughed and hung up on me. I tossed my phone to the foot of the bed and sighed. He was right: I sounded like a girl. I needed to man up and let Leah do what she needed to do. As much as it would kill me, I would wait.

Of course, it had only been a few hours since I'd seen her, and I missed her already. It was strange, and a little scary, to have such a pull to not only Leah, but to Harry as well. Still, I wanted it to happen- and I would make it happen, too.

As much as it killed me to do so, I managed not to contact Leah throughout the week. I knew she had a lot to deal with and I didn't want to put any extra pressure on her.

By Friday night, I was practically dying for contact with her. Every baby I saw made me think of Harry and every bookstore I passed invited me in and reminded me of her.

"Are you okay?" Bella finally asked after we'd cleaned up dinner and settled in for a movie with Willow curled up against my side.

"Fine. Why?" I asked with my eyes on the television.

"You've hardly said a word since you've been here. I've known you for a long time, Edward. I know when something's wrong."

I met her eyes and shifted my gaze to Willow. "Go get Uncle Edward a book and we'll read for a while."

"I thought we were gonna watch a movie?" she frowned.

"Please?" I pouted, and she giggled then ran off to her room.

"Is it about Leah?" Bella asked once her daughter was out of earshot.

"No," I muttered, scowling, and she laughed.

"Edward, c'mon. I haven't seen you this upset over a girl since junior year when Maggie dumped you for that French exchange student."

"That guy was an asshole! And this is different."

Bella frowned. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, B. She's talking about divorce and lawyers and how she needs to do it alone, but I don't _want_ her to have to do it alone."

"Maybe you should let her, Edward," Bella said softly. I took a deep breath and turned back to her.

"Why do you say that?"

"Leah's tough, but she's very hardheaded. If she wants to do something alone, then maybe it's for the best. Besides, you don't really need to get involved in her divorce, do you?"

"I want to be involved in her _life_, Bella. All of it."

"You want to be in the middle of what could possibly be a very nasty and difficult battle? What if you put all this time and effort into it and it doesn't work out, Edward? How would you feel then?"

"I'd feel like I helped a friend out," I told her as I stood up. "I don't like the idea of her going through this alone, regardless of my feelings for her. And, to be honest, you shouldn't either."

"Edward…"

"No, Bella. You don't give up on people because shit gets hard. You of all people should understand that."

I could see her jaw tighten and I immediately regretted my words.

"It's not the same, and you know it," she said through clenched teeth.

"Bella, it is-"

"No, Edward. It isn't. Jacob was my _husband_ and he was your best friend. We didn't turn away from him because we _loved_ him. This thing with Leah is like...like you're running off to be her knight in shining armor. This isn't a fairytale, Edward!"

"Fuck, Bella, do you think I don't know that?" I cried and ran a hand through my hair. "I've never felt like this before, okay? I don't know what the right thing to do is here."

She watched me for a long moment before she shook her head. "Then I don't know what to tell you."

"I know it's a tough situation. Trust me, I know."

"Do you?"

"Yes. I do."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"You and Emmett should start a club," I laughed humorlessly.

"I mean it, Edward."

"And where does Leah fit in while you're handing out sympathy? I know you two weren't the closest but seriously, Bella? Doesn't she deserve a little slack, too?"

"You're my friend, Edward."

"And she's mine. Think about that."

She didn't respond as I slipped out the door, but I didn't expect her to. I knew I shouldn't have brought up Jake, and part of me knew that it was different, but still...we didn't walk out on him when he got sick, and I sure as hell wasn't going to let Leah go through something like this alone.

It wasn't too late after I left Bella's, so I made my way back into the city and to that little corner bookstore. Leah couldn't see me from where she stood behind the counter, but I could see her. She looked tired and worried but, _damn_, was she beautiful.

After a moment, I knocked on the window and she looked up. The smile that crossed her face made up for every day I didn't talk to her this week. Every minute I thought about her was worth it in that one moment.

_Hi_, she mouthed and lifted her hand in a small wave.

I waved back and watched her for a moment, not even trying to hide the stupid grin on my face. Leah held up one finger and then ducked behind the counter. She returned with a marker and scribbled furiously on a piece of paper in front of her, and then held it up.

_Breakfast, 8. The Greasy Spoon. Please?_

I nodded and pressed my hand to the glass. She smiled again and I turned away, feeling better than I had all week.

xXx

**Leah**

"Are you sure you don't mind, Mom? I hate to leave you by yourself," I asked for the third time. My mom simply smiled and shook her head while she tugged Harry's shirt on.

"Not at all. I know you have some things to talk about. I'll be fine here." She lifted Harry up onto his feet. He stood for a moment and clapped his hands, then fell right back onto his butt with a satisfied giggle. I'd been trying to get him to walk for weeks, but he seemed very content with crawling.

"Okay. I'm almost ready," I told her and slipped back into my bedroom to get dressed. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that said "Read Books, Not T-Shirts", and brushed my teeth. Mom helped me carry the stroller and Harry downstairs and wished me good luck before I set off for The Greasy Spoon. It was a place Angela and I'd found after an overnight inventory marathon, and it had the fluffiest, most delicious pancakes I'd ever tasted.

Edward was waiting for us outside, wearing the same damn smile he had the night before when he stood outside my store. He was irresistible, really, and I'd done nothing but think about him all week.

"Good morning," he greeted me with a soft peck on the cheek, before he bent down and lifted my son from the confines of his stroller. I felt my heart swell at the sight of them together, at how happy my son was in that moment, and I knew that I was doing the right thing.

"How was your week?" I asked as we slid into a booth and I strapped Harry into a highchair.

"Awful. Horrible. The worst week ever," Edward said with a grin.

"Yeah." I bit my lip. "Mine too."

"So, what's good here?" Edward flipped open his menu and begin to peruse it silently, as if nothing in life changing had happened in the past six days since we'd spoken. I told him what I thought was best and we ordered coffee. Harry banged happily on the table between us.

After a few moments of silent coffee drinking, I broke. "I filed for divorce," I blurted out. Edward choked on his coffee and coughed loudly. "My mom's been here all week," I continued. "I got a lawyer and filed the paperwork. I'm petitioning for full custody of Harry. It's going to get messy."

Edward listened and then folded his hands under his chin and looked from me to Harry with a grim expression.

"I just wanted you to know that I haven't spent this week ignoring everything, Edward."

"I know you haven't. I know," he said softly, his gaze warm.

I nodded and opened my mouth to speak again, but our orders came, so I waited. We ate and made small talk, and when Edward paid the bill and carried my son out of the restaurant my heart started to stutter in my chest. He looked so serious, so different than he had the last time I'd seen him when he said he wanted to be a part of my life no matter what. I couldn't help but think that he'd changed his mind.

"Can I walk you home?" Edward asked while Harry tugged playfully at the collar of his shirt.

"Of course." I managed a smile and pushed the stroller in front of me.

"So, is the lawyer you got any good?"

"He came highly recommended, yeah."

"Are you worried?"

"…a little," I admitted.

"Don't be," Edward said as he placed his hand over mine. I stopped walking and looked up at him, squinting against the sunlight. He smiled and let his hand trail from my hand and up my arm until his fingertips brushed against my cheek. "Leah," he said my name softly, reverently.

"Yes?"

"Leah, I need you to let me be there for you. I know you want to do it alone and I get that, trust me, I do. But I can't let you. I can't watch you go through it by yourself."

I watched him for a moment, framed by the sun with _my_ son in his arms, and I wanted to say no. I wanted to tell him that I couldn't drag him into my mess because it wouldn't be fair to any of us: not me, or him, or even Harry.

But I couldn't.

So, when I didn't speak, he leaned down and kissed me very gently. I could feel Harry's hand on my face and Edward's smile against my lips, like a closed circuit of contentment, and it all felt so very perfect.

While that little nagging voice in the back of my head said that I could do it alone, I knew that I couldn't. I knew I would need all the help I could get- in any way, shape, or form.

So I kissed him back with my silent "yes" and hoped he knew how grateful I was for him.


	10. Confronting

**Big hugs to ThatIsRiddik and killerlashes. And you, of course. Thanks for reading. **

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down – Confronting

**Leah**

"What's that noise?" I asked.

"Hm? Oh, I'm changing my scrubs. You're on speaker phone," Edward answered sounding far away.

"Did you get peed on again?" I laughed.

"No," he chuckled quietly. "I spilled coffee on myself."

"Smooth."

"Yeah, yeah. That's what happens when you've been up for twenty-two hours straight."

"How much longer do you have?"

Edward yawned. "A few more hours."

"Are you going to Bella's after?"

"Mmm…maybe." He sounded half-asleep.

"Maybe you should just go home," I told him, frowning. It wasn't as if I didn't want him spending the time with Bella and Willow- I knew how important that was to him _and _them. I also knew how hard he had been working all week, though.

"I probably should…but you know I can't. Especially after what happened last week."

I sighed. "I know."

"I see how this relationship is going to be," he teased. "You just want me all to yourself."

I disagreed with a silent eyeroll, though I was rejoicing at the way he said "relationship".

"You're very cocky, doctor. I just want to make sure you're awake when I force you to spend time with my son," I ribbed him and he laughed softly.

"You could never force me to spend time with Harry. Or you, for that matter."

"That's what I like to hear." I grinned and he took a deep breath on the other end of the line.

"I'm about to pass out, sweetheart," he muttered making my insides flutter with one little word.

"Get some rest then, and call me tomorrow."

"I'll call you tonight."

"Edward…"

"Don't argue with me, woman."

"Oh, yes sir," I said with just a hint of sarcasm. "Tonight."

"G'bye."

I said goodbye and slipped my cell phone back into my pocket with a smile. It had been a week since our breakfast, the day we'd discussed and made a decision on our _relationship. _

We'd decided that we did, in fact, want a relationship. Edward and I both knew it wasn't going to be easy. He knew that there was going to be some drama and that he would possibly be caught up in it. I knew that he was going to be busy with work and that Bella and Willow were in his life, too.

_I closed the door to my bedroom and turned to find Edward standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. He smiled and I gestured to the bed. _

"_It's okay, I won't try to seduce you," I teased, and pulled him to the edge with me. _

"_What if I try to seduce you?" He wiggled his eyebrows and I laughed. _

"_Well, while I'm not opposed to the idea…I think it would be best to…wait." _

_He nodded. "I can wait. I _will_ wait," Edward whispered before brushing my hair from my face and kissing me gently. I kissed him back, my own fingers threading through his hair and pulling him closer, until we fell back onto my bed. _

"_My mother's down the hall," I said as I pulled away. _

"_You say the sexiest things to me," he replied with a grin before propping himself up on his elbow. I did the same, my hand rested on his cheek, enjoying the fact that he was simply there with me. _

"_Shut up," I laughed, and got serious quickly. "Are you sure, Edward?" _

"_Leah, stop asking me that. I told you, I want this. I want you. All of you. I'm not- I'm not trying to step in here and save the day, okay?" _

"_I'm not sure you even could." _

"_Exactly, I know. I've just…I've never felt this kind of pull to another person, Leah," he said as he dropped his gaze to my comforter. _

_My heart stuttered in my chest and I bit my lip to keep from smiling. I wanted to be happy, hell, I was happy, but I also needed him to know it's not going to be easy. _

"_Edward, I-" _

"_Don't." He silenced me with his lips and I let him. I let him comfort me with his kiss, let him promise me that it would be okay, and I did the same because I truly felt that it would. _

I was organizing shelves in the back of the store when I heard the bell ring and quickly made my way to the front of the store.

"Leah!" Willow yelled my name and threw her little arms around my waist.

"Hey, kiddo!" I answered her and hugged her tightly while Bella smiled from the door.

"We came to visit you. And buy some books. Mommy, can I go look?" she asked, and Bella nodded. Willow squeezed me one more time and then ran off to the back of the store where our reading corner was.

"How've you been?" she asked once Willow was out of earshot.

"I'm fine. Are you here about Edward?" I tried to keep the tension from my voice, but I wasn't sure I succeeded.

"No. Well, hm."

I laughed and shook my head. "I know you're worried about him being with me. You've barely spoken to me since he and I went out."

Bella sighed and leaned on the counter. "It's not that I don't think you two aren't good for each other, because I do. It's just…"

"Not the right time?"

"Kind of? I guess I'm more afraid that this thing with Sam isn't over and you'll end up breaking Edward's heart," she said in a rush. Well, the girl really needed to work on her subtleness.

"Bella…I'm not going back to Sam."

"But things could happen that might make you change your mind, Leah. And I don't want Edward to be caught up in it. He really cares about you and-"

"I've filed for divorce," I interrupted her quietly.

"Oh." She gaped like a fish for the briefest second before regaining her composure.

"I know it just complicates things, but we've talked about it. He's not here to save the day, and I'm not going to let him try."

She thought for a moment and picked at her perfectly manicured nails.

"Are you afraid I'm going to take him away from you?" The question flew out of my mouth before I could stop it. The hurt look on her face made me instantly regret it.

"I'm not in _love_ with Edward!" she cried. I half-expected her to set her hands on her hips, wrinkle her nose, and squeal "EWWWWWW!" As it was, she _did_ glare at me.

"I didn't say you were. I know how important it is for you and Willow to have Edward in your lives. Trust me, now that _I_ know what it's like..."

"He's a really good guy, Leah," she whispered.

"I know, Bella. I _know_." I ran my hands through my hair and met her eyes. "The way I feel when I'm with him…I can't even begin to tell you what it feels like."

Bella cracked the beginning of a wistful smile. "You sound like Jake."

"He had feelings for Edward, too?" I teased, and she laughed loudly.

"Sometimes I wondered," she said with a full-blown smirk. "No…Jake said those things, you know. About us."

I smiled and squeezed her hand tightly. "I'm not going to hurt him, Bella."

"How's Harry?" She quickly changed the subject.

"He's being lazy. I've been trying to get him to walk for weeks," I told her with a frown.

"Jake would bribe Willow with snacks," she said smiling. "Like she was a puppy or something."

"Hey, I'll try anything." We laughed together, though some of the tension was still there.

"Do you want to come over tonight? For our Friday dinner, I mean?"

"Oh, no. That's your time. I've already talked to Edward; I know he's looking forward to it."

"You're sure?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Mommy! Can I get these two books?" Willow interrupted before either of us could say anything else.

"Sure, baby."

"Do you think Edward can read them to me tonight? After dinner?" She looked from me to her mother and I smiled, though part of me was a little jealous of her. Willow already had such a great relationship with Edward. I wanted that for myself…and for Harry.

"I'm sure he will." Bella smoothed her daughter's hair and gave me a little half-smile. I returned it and took the books from Willow so I could ring them up.

Bella paid and they said goodbye, leaving me alone in the store to wait for Angela- Fridays were usually her night to close. I didn't think too much on my conversation with Bella, because I knew she'd meant well. She and Edward had been friends for a long time, almost as long as Jake and I.

"_Do you ever get jealous that he hangs out with her all the time and you only see her, like, once a week?" I asked as we climbed up a path to the overlook. _

_Jake shrugged in front of me. "Not really. I like Edward. Besides, she doesn't get jealous that I'm hanging out with you." _

"_Well, that's because I have no interest in you whatsoever, Jacob Black." _

"_Why you gotta hurt me so bad, baby?" He tossed me a grin over his shoulder and held out his hand as we reached the cliff. _

"_It's just in my nature, sweetheart." I elbowed him in the ribs and he laughed. _

"_Whatever, Clearwater. You read for this?" Jake gestured to the cliff in front of us and I nodded."Good. See you at the bottom!"And then he jumped. I followed, laughing the entire time. _

After Angela arrived I left to pick up Harry and make dinner for us. By the time I was putting him to bed, Edward called.

"Dinner over already?" I asked as I tucked Harry into his crib.

"Yeah, I called it an early night," he answered, and I could hear rustling in the background.

"Did you read to Willow?"

"I did. Two new books, thanks to The Nook."

"Good. I'm glad you did, she was looking forward to it." I felt myself smile, all traces of jealously gone, and only happiness there for the little girl.

"How's the little guy?"

"All tucked in."

"And Mommy?"

"Tired," I yawned and fell onto the couch.

"I know the feeling," Edward murmured, his voice muffled.

"Are you in bed already?"

"Mmhm."

"Don't fall asleep on me, Cullen."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sweetheart."

"Okay. You go to sleep and call me tomorrow. I'm off, I'll cook you dinner."

"Sounds perfect."

We said goodnight and I turned on the television, needing something to help clear my mind. Truth was, I missed Edward. Sure, we talked every day, but we really hadn't seen other save for one night we'd had dinner at his place. After a few minutes of channel surfing I gave up and decided to head to bed. As I flipped off the lights, there was a knock at the door. It wasn't too late, so I didn't think anything of it. Maybe it was Mrs. Cope bringing some lost item of Harry's back, or Peter across the hall because he lost his keys and Charlotte wasn't home yet. So I opened the door without checking the peephole first.

My knees buckled as it swung open and I met the dark eyes of the very person who had driven me to Seattle in the first place.

"Sam," I choked out his name and held on to the doorframe, so I wouldn't fall on my face.

"What the fuck is this, Leah?" he held up a piece of paper, his eyes livid.

I took a deep breath and steeled myself against the door. I eyed the paper in his hand and then met his harsh gaze. "Divorce papers, Sam."

"You disappear for _three months_ and then have the nerve to divorce me _and_ take my son away?" Sam took a step forward, so I closed the door behind me, not interested in him getting close to Harry.

"You know why I left. And you never even bothered to find us, so what does it matter? You don't want us anymore." I tried to keep my voice from shaking, but it was hard. No matter how true what I said was, no matter how happy I was with Edward, it still hurt so much.

"He's my _son_, Leah. You can't take him away from me!" he yelled, and I closed my eyes briefly. When I opened them he was standing closer, his fists clenched at his side and his jaw set tight.

"You don't have a choice," I said through clenched teeth.

"I'll fight you on this, Leah. You can't keep me from seeing him."

"Where have you been for the past three months, Sam? You don't give a shit about either one of us! All you cared about is yourself and whatever slut you were fucking behind my back. Don't you dare tell me I don't have a right to do this, I have _every_ right to. You walked out on our family. _You_ did what you did. Nobody forced you, and I sure as hell wasn't going to stand by and let you- let you-" I broke off with a sob as I remembered the sting of his hand on my skin. How it didn't just happen once. How it took me weeks to get up the nerve to leave him.

"Is everything all right out here?" A man's voice interrupted and I thanked God for thin walls. I met my neighbor Peter's worried gaze and gave him a sharp nod.

"He was just leaving," I managed to say with a pointed look at Sam.

"This isn't over." Sam tossed the paper at my feet and stormed off. I sagged against the door as he did.

"Are you okay?" Peter crossed the hall and held me up by my elbow. I nodded and he opened the door for me. "Do you want me to get Charlotte? She's good at stuff like this? I can't handle when people cry."

I wiped at my face and noticed that I actually _had _been crying and gave a small laugh.

"No. I'll be okay."

"Are you sure? I can call someone for you…"

"It's okay, Peter. Thank you."

He nodded and left, closing the door behind him. I picked up the paper he'd set on the coffee table and sighed. It was a subpoena for our court date, set in three weeks.

It took me a moment before I decided what or rather, _who_, I really needed. I quickly grabbed Harry's bag and scooped him out of his crib. We were in the car and on our way across town before I could really even think about what I was doing.

Harry was still asleep when I was knocking on the door to a fourth-floor apartment.

"Coming," I heard through the door. "Leah? What the hell's going on?" Edward blinked quickly as he took in the fact that I was standing on his doorstep with a sleeping baby.

"Hi. I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to go," I rambled as he led me inside. "I just- I was so-"

"Hey," he interrupted me and wrapped both of his arms around Harry and I. "Calm down. Tell me what happened."

"He showed up at my door. He was so angry…" I trailed off and felt Edward's hand pressed against my back and his lips on my hair.

"Who?"

"Sam."

Edward let out a breath and pulled away. "Let's get this guy to bed, huh?" He led me to his bedroom, a room that I had only walked through to use the bathroom the last time we were here, and pulled down the sheets in his bed. I watched as Edward arranged the pillows in some sort of "cage" and then held his hands out for Harry. I handed my son over and he laid him down with a gentleness that made my heart ache.

"You want to talk about it?" Edward asked as he turned to me and placed his hands on my shoulders.

I fell forward and rested my head on his chest, shaking it.

"Okay. I'll get you a t-shirt or something to sleep in. You guys can take the bed." Edward kissed my forehead and, after a moment, handed me a shirt and a pair of boxers. I glanced down at him, wearing a pair of thing sweatpants and no shirt, and (even in my stressed state) took a moment to appreciate it.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as I clutched the clothes. Edward just shook his head and took my face in his hands.

He kissed me gently and I felt myself relax. "I'll be in the living room if you need me."

I nodded and watched him walk away, hoping with all my heart that this wasn't something that would push him away.

* * *

**Reviews get awkward sexual comments or teasers. And sometimes both. Just kidding. About the sexual stuff, not the teasers. :) **


	11. Holding

**Thank you for such a lovely response last chapter. If you didn't get your teaser it was because your account was locked or you signed in as a guest, but I appreciate your love so, so much. **

**And thanks to ThatIsRiddik and killerlashes, of course. :)  
**

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down – Holding

**Leah**

The faint light from the television in the living room spilled into Edward's bedroom and I watched it for what felt like hours. Harry stirred next to me, his chubby legs kicking like a pinned-down frog's, so I rested my hand on his back until he settled. After a moment I slid out of Edward's bed and into the living room. His long frame was sprawled across the length of the couch, feet resting over the arm and head buried in a pillow at the end. He looked so peaceful that I almost didn't want to disturb him.

Almost.

"Hey," he said before I could even think about speaking. "What's wrong?"

"I couldn't fall asleep," I whispered, and sat at the edge of the couch. Edward moved, pulling me closer until I was spooned against him. I could feel his breath on my neck as his arm slipped over my waist.

"You ready to talk about it?" he asked softly.

I sighed and tugged his arm tighter around me. "One night, when Harry was about three months old, Sam came home late. It had been happening more and more, you know? After Jake died, he changed. He was so angry all the time…it was scary."

Edward's arm was so tight around me it was hard to breathe.

"I could tell something was going on. There were too many nights he came home late, smelling like someone else. So, one night I confronted him about it and he, he-"

I stopped and took a deep breath.

Edward's arm left my waist and he smoothed a hand over my hair. His lips pressed against my neck and I relaxed into him. "You don't have to tell me." His voice was quiet against my skin.

I turned carefully, so as not to fall off the couch, and faced him. "I want to." I touched his face gently and he nodded. "The first time it happened, I- I didn't know what to think. I never thought he would…that he _could_ hurt me that way."

"Did you tell someone?"

I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Not the first time."

"How many times?"

"Enough," I whispered, and pressed my forehead to his.

Edward took a shaky breath, like he was trying to calm himself. "Leah…"

"I didn't know what to do at first. He was…it was like he hated us. I didn't know why. He wouldn't even look at Harry and anything he said to me was degrading or just…_mean_. I thought it was because he was grieving, but eventually I realized that he just wanted out. We'd been together for so long so marriage and kids just seemed like the right thing to do, you know? I didn't know…"

"How did you…?" Edward's voice was hoarse.

"My mom. And Seth. It took a few weeks to get the apartment and the job. Mom had put away some of Dad's life insurance money, and that helped me out for the first few weeks."

"He never tried to find you?"

"He called my mom a few times, but I didn't have a lot of other friends back in La Push, so there wasn't really many places for him to look."

"So, why now?" he frowned and rubbed a hand over his face.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Because I'm trying to take Harry away and he feels like he has some sort of claim on him, I guess. I won't let that happen, though. I can't. I can't stand the thought of Harry being around him after the things that he said and did." I shuddered and Edward pulled me closer, tucking my head under his chin and wrapping his arms tightly around me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he murmured into my hair.

"I didn't want you to feel sorry for me. _I_ don't feel sorry for me."

"Me either. I think you're incredibly brave."

I slipped my arms around him and pulled myself closer until our bodies were flush against each other. The way his heart beat against mine was soothing and his even breathing helped to calm me. Before I knew it we'd both drifted off, wrapped up together on Edward's too-small couch.

xXx

My son's laughter was what woke me up later. It sounded far away, not like how I usually heard it from his baby monitor.

But it was happy.

"Shh, you'll wake up Mommy." Edward's low chuckled joined Harry's and I forced my eyes open. I was still on Edward's couch, wrapped up in a blanket that smelled like him.

I pushed myself up and was making my way to their voices when Edward came out of the kitchen holding Harry like a football under his arm and a plate in the other.

"Hi!" he smiled brightly at me and gestured his head toward the small dining room table. "Sorry, we didn't mean to wake you up," Edward said as he settled at the table with Harry in his lap. I laughed as Harry banged his hands on the table and Edward moved the plate, full of tiny pieces of scrambled eggs and toast, closer to him. "There's coffee, eggs, and toast if you're hungry."

I nodded and headed to kitchen, momentarily in shock at the sight I'd just left. Edward woke up my son, cooked him breakfast, and let me sleep.

It was like pulling teeth to get Sam to do any of those things.

Back at the table Harry was babbling and Edward was handing him little pieces of food, one at a time.

"How long has he been up?" I asked as I sipped my coffee.

"About an hour." Edward shrugged and kissed the top of Harry's head. "We've been trying to keep quiet."

"You succeeded, I didn't even hear you," I told him with a smile.

"Good, you needed some rest."

"What about you?"

"I'm fine." He grinned. "I got a good five hours. Plus, I got to hang out with this little guy. I mean, it was a little touch-and-go at first. There are some things they just don't teach you in medical school. Some smells you just aren't used to, you know?"

I tried to cover my laugh up with a cough, but to no avail.

"Yeah, laugh it up. I'm sure you're a pro." Edward rolled his eyes. "You're just lucky he's so damn charming."

"Thank you," I whispered to my coffee cup.

"It was my pleasure. I spent enough time with Michael when I was living with Rose and Emmett to know the basics." He grinned. "I do need a shower, though." Edward stood up and handed Harry over to me.

"Do you need me to go home? I'm sure you have things to do today…"

Edward frowned down at me and then leaned over to kiss me. "You're not going anywhere."

"Okay," I managed to say as he walked away. I bounced Harry on my knee and he giggled as I held him closer. It was comforting that he was so disconnected from the whole situation. And I was going to do everything in my power to keep it that way.

When Edward returned to the kitchen, barefoot and shirtless in a pair of jeans, Harry was sitting on the floor with a pot and spoon, banging away while I washed dishes. Edward set his hands on my shoulders as I dried my hands, so I turned to him and pressed my face into his neck. He smelled clean and fresh…I wanted to curl up against him and never leave.

"Thank you for last night," I whispered and rested my hand on his chest. He slipped his hand into my hair and tipped my face to his.

"Don't ever be afraid to come to me, Leah. Okay?" His thumb swept under my bottom lip and I nodded. "I mean it."

"I know," I replied before closing the distance between us. I let my arms wrap around his neck as I held myself closer to him and our lips met gently.

A loud banging interrupted us and we broke apart, laughing.

"What do you want to do today?" Edward asked as he gazed down at me.

"Anything. Nothing. Be with you."

"Aaaaah!" I felt Harry's hand on my leg and looked down to see him standing and clinging to both Edward and my legs. I laughed and lifted him up.

"Can we go back to my place? We need to get cleaned up, too."

Edward nodded. "Of course. Let me get dressed and we'll go."

When Edward was ready I let him drive my car back to my house. I showered and he volunteered to get Harry cleaned up.

"I'm gonna get you a Mariners jersey, little dude," I heard, and turned to find Edward frowning at a little Yankees jersey.

"A gift from Uncle Seth." I smiled and lifted Harry, still in only his diaper, from his crib. I pulled a t-shirt and a pair of little plaid shorts out, and then started dressing Harry on his changing table.

"Uncle Seth has awful taste," Edward muttered and I laughed.

"He fancies himself a New Yorker now," I explained with a grin.

"Poor bastard."

"Okay, we're all dressed. Now what?"

Edward smiled and leaned down to kiss me. "Do you like boats?"

xXx

"How did you know about this?" I asked as we stood against the railing of the Bainbridge Ferry.

Edward shrugged and placed a comforting hand on Harry's back. The wind blew their hair around and Harry rested his head on Edward's shoulder, cautiously peeking out at the water.

"We used to do this all the time when we were kids," he replied as he rubbed his fingers over Harry's t-shirt. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah," I answered and brushed my son's hair from his face. "He's just taking it all in. It's his first time on a boat."

"Here." Edward shifted and pulled his phone out of his pocket. "You should document it."

I took it from him and snapped a few pictures with the camera. Harry's eyes were wide and he gripped Edward's t-shirt in his fist, but he was otherwise calm and alert. I slipped Edward's phone back into his pocket and rested myself against his other shoulder. We hadn't talked about the night before, but I could tell he was thinking about it. Hell, I was still reeling from it. It was hard enough to tell my mother and Seth what had happened with Sam, so telling Edward was huge for me. It was just another thing to add to the list of reasons why…_no._ No, I wasn't going to go there. We were doing this, we'd already decided.

I pushed the thought out of my mind as the ferry began to dock. We unloaded and Edward set Harry back into his stroller and shook out his arm.

"He's heavy, huh?" I teased. Edward shook his head and flexed.

"Nah." He winked and I rolled my eyes. "Let's go."

I let Edward lead us around town. We walked through art galleries, farmer's markets, and a little trail by the water. Harry fell asleep as Edward and I had lunch at a little seafood restaurant.

"I think you should tell your lawyer about what happened last night," Edward broke the comfortable silence we'd fallen into, both of us content on watching the water and patrons around the island.

I nodded and tore at the napkin on my lap. "I will."

"Do you feel safe enough to stay by yourself?"

"It's a little early for you to move in, isn't it?" I joked halfheartedly.

He shook his head and nudged my foot with his. "Hush. You know what I meant."

"I don't think he'll come back," I answered quietly.

"But what-"

I stood up and moved to the seat next to Edward, wrapping my arms around his neck and drawing him into a kiss. It was partly to silence him, but mostly because he was so perfect that I couldn't help myself at the moment.

He pulled away and touched my face. His fingertips swept over my cheek as his gaze met mine.

"I want to protect you, but I know you don't need it," he said as the corners of his mouth tugged up.

"Just knowing you want to is enough," I told him before kissing him again.

"I guess I can settle for that," Edward murmured against my lips. "Okay. Let's get moving, there's plenty left to see."

I laughed at his enthusiasm and let him lead us around town a little more. We bought and ate homemade fudge and I tried to talk him out of a stuffed turtle for Harry, but he insisted and Harry clutched it tightly the entire ferry ride back.

Back at my apartment Edward sprawled on the couch, completely at home, while Harry dragged his new turtle around. I was in the kitchen when I heard Edward's exclamation or surprise.

"Shit! Leah!"

"What?" I immediately dropped the pan I'd been attacking and rushed into the living room. Edward was half sitting, half standing in front of the couch like he was afraid to move, and his eyes were trained on my son.

My son, who was _standing_ in the middle of the room completely on his own. I stopped where I was to watch. One step, then two, and then two more before he fell. He looked up at Edward with wide, surprised brown eyes. Edward simply laughed and quickly picked him up and tossed him in the air.

"That was awesome, little man," Edward praised my giggly son and I felt myself grin.

"Incredibly awesome," I whispered as I went to them. I kissed Harry's head and met Edward's eyes. There was something so tender in his grass-green gaze that my heart faltered for a moment.

Edward cleared his throat and looked away. "Do you think he can do it again?"

We spent the rest of the afternoon on the living room floor as Harry toddled back and forth between us, laughing and clapping along with us when he praised him. When he seemed to have had enough, he simply crawled to his big stuffed dog and laid himself down so we wouldn't bother him anymore.

As we stood, Edward pulled me close and buried his face in my neck. He breathed in deeply and I instinctively pressed myself against his warm body.

"I need to go," he said against my skin.

"But I'm supposed to make you dinner." I frowned and pulled away from him, stunned to see _that_ look was back.

"I know, sweetheart. I know. But I…" he trailed off and wrapped a strand of my hair around his finger. "This day has been incredible, and if I stay…" he didn't finish his sentence. Instead he wrapped an arm tight around my waist and cupped my face with the other. He kissed me hard, more intense than any other kiss we'd shared, more meaningful and just..._more_.

Edward pulled away and pressed his forehead to mine. I took a shuddering breath, placed my hand on his chest, and gently pushed him away.

"Yes. You should go," I said with a breathless laugh. "God, I don't want you to."

He echoed my laugh and kissed me again, though innocently this time. "I'll call you tomorrow, or tonight, or in five minutes because I literally cannot stop thinking about you." Then his hands were in my hair and his lips were on mine again. His tongue parted my lips and I heard myself whimper as my hands fisted his shirt, drawing him closer.

"Edward!" I gasped and pulled away.

"Dammit. I have to go!" He cried and strode quickly to the door. "Fuck," Edward muttered and took a few cautious steps back to where I still was in the living room. "You are beautiful and you drive me absolutely crazy. I'll call you soon," he said before pressing his lips to mine _briefly_ and leaving without another word.

I smiled and rested my hand over my pounding heart because, yeah, he did the same to me.


	12. Introducing

**Hi. You're all pretty. ThatIsRiddik and killerlashes are too. Thank you for reading. XOXO**

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down – Introducing

"All right, Dr. C., who is she?" Heidi interrupted my thoughts Thursday night after my day with Leah and Harry. I hadn't seen them since Saturday, but we'd spoken on the phone and made plans for the weekend when we both had a day off. It was true what I'd told her, though. She drove me crazy and I never stopped thinking about her.

"What?" I frowned down at her and took a sip of my now cold coffee.

"Edward. You've been standing there for five minutes."

"I'm waiting for a file!"

"And I _gave_ it to you five minutes ago!"

I glanced down at the counter and then back at Heidi, who was staring expectantly.

"It's Leah," I confessed and rolled my eyes at her enthusiastic clapping.

"I knew it!"

"You did not," I scoffed.

"I did, I could tell. You had big old sparkly hearts in your eyes that day she brought you coffee."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You're a little scary.

She flashed me a smug smile. "Thanks. So, is it serious?"

"Maybe." I shrugged. Heidi frowned at me, impatient. "Yes, I think so."

"Good for you, Dr. C."

"Thanks." I drummed my fingers on the counter.

"You going to take care of any patients today or are you just going to brood?"

"I haven't decided yet." I tossed my pen at her and picked up my file and cold coffee, fully prepared to work.

"You can't leave! You haven't told me any of the juicy details!" Heidi protested and I chuckled quietly. We'd known each other since I'd started my residency at Harborview, and she'd always helped me out (while flirting shamelessly the entire time). Medical school didn't leave me with much time to make friends, so I most hung out with people I worked with or not at all.

It was usually not at all.

"There're no juicy details."

"…yet! I want to hear about the romance! C'mon, please? Is it _twoo wuv?_" Heidi protested, and I shook my head.

"I don't want to jinx anything, nosy Rosie," I said with a wink before I walked away. I wasn't really worried about jinxing anything with Leah, though. I knew we had a long road ahead of us, but I was excited about what could happen.

Of course, with my schedule and the fact that we were nearly always accompanied by an adorable eleven-month-old, what happened for the first couple weeks was a lot of talking.

Well, that and a few quick and harmless make-out sessions. It was a strange sort of "honeymoon stage" we were in, but we both seemed to be coping well. I knew Leah had a lot on her mind with the impending court date, so I did my best to preoccupy her and Harry when I could.

My connection with Harry was something that fascinated and scared me at the same time. I loved spending time with him and it all felt so natural, but at the same time there was an overwhelming sense of responsibility hanging over my head. I knew my relationship with Leah was serious simply because of the fact that she let me in her life. She let me in _Harry's_ life, and I didn't want to let either of them down.

Harry was so much fun, though. He made weird little faces and got excited about the littlest things. Only banana-flavored snacks were suitable for him, and he pretty much despised anything pink. Then there were some times…moments when he was sleeping, and it was the most peaceful thing I'd ever seen. I could see myself somewhere down the road, teaching him to play football or ride a fucking bike…and then I started to freak out.

So, in between moments of clarity and utter confusion, I made the most of my time with them. Sometimes it was dinner at one of our houses, but there were trips to the park or library, too. It went like that for two weeks, just the three of us in our own little world when the opportunity arose. Every moment I spent with Leah and Harry turned into just _more_. More smiles, more laughter, more feelings…so much more.

Part of me felt like maybe we were living on borrowed time. I knew that eventually there would be court dates and a divorce and that things were going to get messy, but we didn't worry about that. We didn't worry about anything except us…yet.

Of course, things changed after my Friday-night dinner with Bella and a reminder of an event that I'd put out of my mind. I was in the process of chopping vegetables when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

"Bells, can you grab that? I'm waiting on an update about a patient," I said, sticking out my hip to her. She snorted, muttering something about "lady hips" and took the phone from my pocket. "Rude," I replied.

"It's your brother. He says 'Dinner at 7 for your bday, Sunday. The whole damn fam is coming. Be there or be square, loser'," she read with a smirk.

"Shit, it's my birthday." I set down the knife and closed my eyes.

Bella grinned and handed me back my phone. "Did you not notice that it was June?"

I shook my head. "I've been busy."

"I can tell." She waved my phone at me, which now had a picture of Harry from our ferry ride for its background, and gave me a small smile.

"I'm really happy with them," I said quietly.

"I can tell that, too," Bella replied and rested her head on my shoulder. She took a deep breath and leaned up to kiss my cheek, and then slipped away from me.

"Are you going to take them to Emmett's?" Bella asked as she scooped my vegetables into a pan with chicken for stir-fry.

"I should, huh? You'll come, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it, lady hips." She grinned.

"On second though, I'm not sure I can handle you, Leah, _and_ Rose under the same roof…"

Bella simply laughed and shook her head, ignoring the fact that I was completely serious.

xXx

**Leah**

"Are you sure it's okay for me to go, Edward?" I asked, even though we were already in his car and on our way to his brother's house.

"It's _my _party, and I'll cry if I want to," he retorted, rolling his eyes, and kissed my hand. "I'm the birthday boy, I can bring whoever I want."

"Which I'm still pissed that you didn't tell me about!" I pulled my hand away from his and glared at him. "What if I wanted to get you a gift?"

"I don't need anything… and it's just another day, sweetheart. It's not like it's a special one, anyways. I'm thirty-one, no big deal."

"How did you spend your thirtieth?"

"Working." He reached over and took my hand again. "I was almost finished with my residency and this patient came into the ER with a gunshot wound. I treated him initially and I just couldn't leave him. So I stayed all night," he told me and I felt tears prick my eyes for the compassion that he had for absolutely everyone.

"You're a good egg, Edward Cullen."

"Well, that's what my mama tells me." Edward grinned as we pulled into his brother's driveway. There were already cars there and my heartbeat thundered in my ears as I got out. I smoothed down the front of my blouse, a dark green number that Edward seemed to like, and took a deep breath before opening the rear passenger side door. Edward's arm was around my waist and he pulled me back against his body before I could reach for Harry.

"You look beautiful, stop worrying," he murmured against the back of my neck and I shivered. I turned, resting my hands on his chest and leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you," I whispered to his skin. He simply smiled and reached around me to grab Harry's bag and hand it to me, before he lifted my son from the confines of his car seat.

My hands shook as we stepped inside Emmett and Rosalie's house, but we were quickly greeted by Edward's family and I was left with no more time to be nervous. I watched as Edward gave his father and then his mother a one-armed hug with Harry tight in his other.

"Oh!" Esme cried when Harry grabbed a hold of the beaded necklace she was wearing. She laughed and untangled his little fingers, then tickled him gently. He laughed, his eyes wide as he took in his new surroundings.

"Careful, he's quick," I explained as I pulled him from Edward's arms. Edward slipped am arm around my waist and pulled me against his side.

His mother's smile was surprised at first, but she quickly covered it up. "I'm used to it. How are you, Leah?"

"I'm well. It's lovely to see you. And you, Dr. Cullen," I greeted Edward's father with a shy smile, but he wasn't looking at me, he was looking at his son. His son with his arm around me and _my _son.

I didn't have much time to think about what was happening, because suddenly the door was flung open behind us and Edward and I were being separated by a whirlwind of elbows, jangly bracelets, and black hair.

"Happy birthday!" I heard Alice squeal as she threw her arms around Edward. I tried not to wince and cover Harry's ears, while everyone else smiled around us.

"Ouch. Nice to see your volume hasn't changed, Shorty," Edward teased his sister and winked at me over her head.

"Of course not," she laughed and hugged him again before pulling a tall blond man out of the doorway. "You remember Jasper, right?"

"Of course." Edward smiled politely and shook the man's hand and then gestured to me. "And you remember Leah?"

Alice turned to me, her blue eyes going wide as she did. As she opened her mouth to speak, Harry yelled in protest and tried to push himself out of my arms. I frowned, but Edward simply laughed as Harry opened and closed his tiny fists in Edward's direction.

I rolled my eyes, but handed him over while Alice continued to stare.

"This is Harry." Edward smiled.

"He…he likes you?" She looked from Edward to me for confirmation and I nodded, smiling a little at her look of surprise.

"A lot," I told her.

"All right, can we get this party started yet? I'm starving," Emmett boomed over us, sticking his head out into the foyer.

"Is Bella here yet?" Edward asked as we filed into the dining room.

Esme's eyes flashed from me to Edward and a strange look crossed her face.

"No, not yet," Rosalie answered before she turned to me. "I'm Rose, by the way. You only know my asshole husband." She grinned.

"Leah." I held out my hand she shook it. "And he's not _so_ bad," I said with a nod in Emmett's direction, "Just a little mama-bear when it comes to his baby brother."

"I have a feeling we're missing something, dear," Carlisle stage-whispered to Esme.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll know all about it eventually." She patted his cheek and took a seat at the large dining room table.

As Rosalie pulled a high chair out and Edward settled Harry in it, the doorbell rang. Emmett disappeared and returned a moment later with Bella, Willow, and a huge cake in tow.

"Sorry we're late. We had a sprinkle incident," Bella explained as Rosalie took the cake from her and Edward stepped forward to hug both her and Willow. They quickly sat on the other side of Edward. As dishes were passed around conversations were started and things were noisy and lovely.

I could feel Esme's eyes on us as Edward leaned over and gently brushed his fingers along my cheek.

"I'm glad you're here," he whispered before pulling away. I smiled and took his hand under the table in my silent response because I was glad to be there with him. After we ate, there was cake and everyone understood what Bella meant by "sprinkle incident" because there wasn't an inch of frosting that wasn't covered with the tiny things.

We moved the party into the living room after that, though it wasn't quite big enough to accommodate all of us so Edward and I sat on the floor while Harry and Michael chased each other around the room on wobbly little legs, giggling the whole time.

"He hasn't really been around other kids much," I admitted as I watched them play.

Rosalie smiled and stood up, "I'm going to grab drinks, any special orders? Speak now or you get what you get-"

"And you don't throw a fit!" Willow finished. "Can I have chocolate milk?"

We laughed, and I followed Rosalie into the kitchen to help.

"We started Michael at a daycare when he turned one," she explained. "It's been really great and they do a lot of academic stuff, too. I can give you the name of it if you're interested. When will Harry be one?"

"July fourth, actually," I told her as I poured the wine she'd given me.

"How fun! Are you planning a party?"

"I'm not sure, there's so much going on right now…" I trailed off and sipped from one of the glasses in front of me.

"Understandable," she said with a sympathetic smile. "Harry seems to really like Edward."

I smiled into my wine glass. "Edward is so amazing with him. It's funny that Alice thinks he scares kids," I laughed.

"Alice just thinks Edward is too serious." Rosalie rolled her eyes, but smiled endearingly at the thought of her sister-in-law. "Truth is, Alice talks so much that no one else can get a word in edgewise, and most of the time Edward just lets her take the spotlight."

I chuckled quietly. "And she doesn't notice?"

"Have you _met_ Alice?" Rosalie grinned.

"Hey, Emmett wants to know if you're actually brewing the beer or if you're going to be out here anytime soon," Jasper, Alice's boyfriend, asked from the kitchen door. Rosalie made a face and shooed him away, but not before handing him a few beers to take with him.

"I wanted to apologize for my husband. He gets a little protective of Edward, and I'm sorry he took it out on you." Rosalie gave me an apologetic look after he left.

"I get it. I mean, kind of." I shrugged. "But…he shouldn't worry." I met her ice-blue eyes and gave her a small smile. I could only assume that the look in my eyes spoke volumes because the look on her face was gentle and understanding.

"That bad, huh?"

I felt myself blush. "Maybe."

Before I could say anything else, Esme burst into the kitchen.

"There you ladies are! We're going to play Charades, are you coming?"

I nodded and carried my glass of wine out of the kitchen, only to turn around just before I reached everyone else, to see if they needed any help.

"I just don't like it, that's all," I heard Esme say in a loud whisper.

"I'm sure it's not like that, Esme," Rosalie replied with a quiet laugh. "This isn't _Sister Wives."_

"Well, they're both here, aren't they? And he seems to be fine with it! _They_ seem to be fine with it! I never thought Edward, of all people…"

"Don't jump to any conclusions just yet, okay? Talk to your son first."

I barely heard Esme's response because I was rushing away from the kitchen, half-amused and half-mortified at what I'd heard. In the living room Bella had taken my spot next to Edward and Willow was squeezed in between them.

It was easy to see how Esme would think what she did.

Edward smiled at me from the floor and I leaned down to take Harry from him, quietly asking for him to join me.

"Is there somewhere I can change him?" I asked Emmett.

"Upstairs, second door on the left."

"Uh, I'll show you," Edward muttered and guided me upstairs with his hand on the small of my back. Inside Michael's room I changed and redressed Harry, then set him on floor among a little pile of toys.

"We have a problem." I bit my lip to keep from laughing, but Edward looked worried.

"What's wrong?"

"Well…it's your mom."

"My mom?" He frowned. "What about her?"

"I'm pretty sure she thinks you're dating Bella and me at the same time," I explained, enjoying the way his jaw dropped.

"_What?_ She does not."

"Edward. I mean it. I heard her talking to Rosalie."

He scratched his head, thinking, while Harry impatiently pulled on his jeans and babbled. Edward sighed and picked up my son, still frowning.

"I'll talk to her."

"And tell her what?" I grinned. Edward rolled his eyes and pulled me to him with his free hand.

"You know what," he murmured against my lips.

"Just checking," I said before kissing him quickly. "Now…how good are you at Charades?"


	13. Wanting

**Thanks to ThatIsRiddik and killerlashes and to all of you for reading. XOXO**

**Oh, and to Einfach Mich for ~encouraging me to write one of the flahsbacks in this. :) **

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down - Wanting

**Edward**

"_Hey, Mom. Can we talk?" My mother turned from where she was packing up leftover cake and smiled. _

"_Of course," she replied and put her hands to my face. "What do you want to talk about?" _

"_Leah." _

"_Oh? She's lovely, I'm glad you brought her." Mom dropped her hands and turned away from me with a blank expression. I bit back my laugh. _

"_She's my girlfriend, Mom. You know that, right?"_

"_Well, of course I knew that!" _

"_Really? Because Leah accidentally overheard you and Rose talking earlier…" _

_She sighed. "I may have imagined the worst." _

"_Mom! You've been pissed at me all night because you actually thought your baby boy was a bigamist. 'Imagined the worst', my ass!" I laughed and pulled her into a hug. _

"_I couldn't believe my baby would do such a thing," she said with a slight chuckle. _

_I patted her head and pushed her shoulders back. _

"_I'm crazy about her," I admitted quietly. _

"_And Harry?" _

"_I, um…I never thought I'd feel like this, you know?" I whispered and felt my cheeks burn. _

_She put her hands to my face again and smiled with misty eyes. "Good." _

"Did you have a nice birthday?" Leah's voice was quiet in my ear, her hand warm on the back of my neck.

"I did." I turned to her and smiled. "It was nice to see everyone together."

"Harry seemed to really like Michael."

"Yeah, we should get them together more," I agreed as I slipped my arm around her waist and pulled her into my lap. She put her hands on my face and gazed down at me, smiling.

"Definitely," Leah whispered before capturing my lips with hers. I kissed her as my fingers snuck under her silky green shirt and touched her soft skin. My hands pushed the material up her body and she pulled away as I slipped it over her head. I couldn't help but think of another time I'd seen her in a pretty green shirt.

_I frowned and poked at the bonfire with a random piece of driftwood I found. I didn't even want to come to First Beach, but Charlie wouldn't let Bella come without me, and she had some kind of weird mind control over me. _

_Plus, there was free beer. _

"_Why so glum, chum?" I heard from behind me. I turned, fully prepared to tell whoever it was to fuck off, but stopped because all I saw were long caramel-colored legs and my throat had suddenly become incredibly dry. _

"_Who? Me? I'm fine," I answered and turned away from the owner of the perfect legs and gazed back at the fire. Yep, exactly where I need to be looking. Definitely not following that pretty skin all the way up the rest of her body. _

_I sighed and chugged from my red plastic cup, willing myself to keep my mouth shut. _

"_You look like someone just murdered your puppy," Leah laughed as she sat next to me in front of the fire. _

"_Not quite," I muttered and tossed a twig into the fire, causing sparks to lift into the air. _

"_What's wrong, Cullen?" She nudged her shoulder with mine. "Forks won tonight, you should be happy. You guys are going to the championship, right?" _

_I shrugged. "Yep." _

"_Well, that should be fun, right?" _

"_Sure." _

"_Seriously, Cullen. You're killing me here!" Leah reached over and took my chin in her hand, then pulled my face to meet her eyes. _

_I jerked away quickly out of surprise at the feel of her skin on mine. _

"_Sorry," I mumbled and patted her bare knee. _

_Shit. Bad idea._

"_It's just been…a long day." _

"_Girl problems?" _

"_You could say that." I managed a small smile in her direction and she rolled her eyes. _

"_Her loss. Anyways, I heard you played great tonight. I mean, just from Bella and she's pretty wasted so I couldn't really comprehend much," Leah said with a grin. I could feel myself smiling at her as I watched her in the firelight. Her dark hair was pulled back in a loose braid, and she was wearing a tight green sweater that didn't quite go with her denim shorts, but it still worked. _

"_Is there something on my face?" she asked after a moment. _

"_What? No. You're just…really beautiful," I blurted out before I could stop myself. Fucking cheap beer. _

"_You're drunk, Edward." _

"_Drunk," I agreed. "Not blind."_

"_So are you going to play football next year?" Leah changed the subject and quickly turned away from my gaze. I was staring, but I couldn't help it. _

"_Nah." _

"_Oh. What are you going to school for?" _

"_Pre-med." _

"_What, like…med school?" _

_I nodded and crushed the red cup in my hand. _

"_Dr. Cullen. I can see it." Leah grinned and ruffled my hair. _

_Holy shit. She needed to stop touching me. _

"_Did Bella send you over to make be feel better?" I turned, my legs on either side of the driftwood I was sitting on. She did the same until her knees were touching mine. _

"_I told you, Bella's wasted. She's off with Jake somewhere." Leah rolled her eyes. _

"_Does that bother you?" _

"_No." She shrugged. "They're cute together when they aren't being totally gross. I miss my friend sometimes, though." _

"_Me too." I tapped my fingers on her knee and, to my surprise, she didn't move away. _

_Leah was silent for a moment with her eyes trained on my fingers, still tapping on her skin. Until they stopped tapping and started making small circles on her perfect skin. _

"_Edward," she whispered my name and I met her big, dark eyes, "Edward, I have a boyfriend." _

"_Too bad for him," I laughed quietly. Leah shook her head and licked her lips, the movement drew my focus to her mouth. _

_She raised an eyebrow at me."You mean for you?" _

_I smirked, but sighed. "Yeah, I guess so." _

_Leah leaned closer and put her hand on my cheek. "You're a good guy, Edward." _

"_You're still beautiful." _

"_Hopeless!" she cried, shoving me lightly and standing up. _

_I laughed as I watched her walked away, feeling better, but disappointed at the same time. And a little jealous of whoever had her instead of me. _

Leah's arms wrapped around her middle like she was trying to hide herself, so I grabbed her hands and held them behind her back. She gave a shuddering breath and closed her eyes as my lips met the skin of her neck.

"You're beautiful," I murmured to her bare skin. I clasped both of her hands in one of mine and let the other trace a line across her collarbone and down the valley of her full breasts.

"Edward…"

"I want to do this right, Leah. I want to wait," I said as my lips followed the trail my fingers had made. "But I want you so much."

"I know, Edward," she responded with a chaste kiss and I tightened my hold on her hands, not sure what would happen if she were to touch me. I already had her there under my greedy hands and nearly wrapped around my body, ready and wanting just as much as I did. Truth was, we'd never been this far before. In the few weeks that we'd been together, we'd only kissed. Sometimes we'd be wrapped up on her couch or mine, but always fully clothed.

I nipped at her bottom lip and then let my nose travel along her jaw, breathing her in. She arched into me, and I cautiously let go over her hands and settled my own on her sides, thumbs brushing under the lace of her bra.

"Tell me this is okay," I plead quietly.

"Yes," she practically breathed the word and my hands moved to unclasp her bra. Then I heard it. A sound that was equally adorable and annoying at the same time.

It was the sound of a babbling eleven-month-old _totally_ killing the mood.

I groaned and rested my head in the crook of Leah's neck. "Cockblocked by a toddler," I lamented. "A _toddler."_

She laughed and ran her fingers through my hair. "Better get used to it if you're planning on sticking around, Cullen. I'll be back in a bit," she whispered before kissing my nose and tugging her shirt back on, leaving me alone on the couch.

xXx

**Leah **

I quickly fixed Harry a bottle and pulled him out of his crib, snuggling him in my arms and kissing his head. I settled into my rocking chair and his eyes fluttered closed as I hummed some old lullaby my mom used to sing to me.

It wasn't long before he was out again, and my nerves started to resurface because Edward was out there waiting for me. I gently laid Harry down and made my way out of his room, only to find Edward waiting for me in the hallway.

"Hi," I greeted him and held out my hand. He took it and pulled me against him, burying his face in my hair.

"Where were we?" His voice was husky and low in my ear. It made me shiver against him. Truth be told, I didn't know where we were or just how far we were going to go. All I knew was that I needed him to touch me. I needed to kiss him and feel his skin against mine. I wanted to taste his breath and feel his heartbeat…I wanted all of him.

So I answered, "Here," and drew him into a kiss. His hands went to the back of my thighs and lifted me up until my legs wrapped around his waist and we were moving to my bedroom. Edward lowered me carefully, stretching my arms over my head as his body rested on top of mine. His kisses were reserved like he was holding himself back, but I wanted more.

I pushed his shoulder gently and we rolled until I was hovering over him. He removed my shirt again and whispered my name, so I placed my hand over his pounding heart and got caught up in his gaze for the briefest of moments.

"Leah, I told you I want to do this right," he stated quietly.

"I think we are, Edward," I teased and pressed a kiss under his ear. He laughed and it turned into a groan as his hands grasped my hips tightly.

"You know what I mean." He gave me a meaningful look and leaned up on his elbows. One hand moved from my hip and was tight on my thigh, thumb moving in small circles.

I leaned down to kiss him, shifting my hips as I did. His hands were on my back then, unclasping my bra and slipping it down my arms. I whimpered as they slid over the skin of my stomach to cup my breasts, and then I was on my back again and Edward's mouth was on my skin. His fingers touched and teased, drawing little moans that fell from my lips as he continued his worship on my body. I slipped a hand in his hair and he pressed a kiss underneath my belly button.

Edward didn't talk as he removed my jeans and panties, but the look in his eyes spoke volumes. He leaned down to kiss me again, his hand drifted over my waist and between my thighs.

"Let me do this," he murmured against my neck.

I gave a breathy laugh. "I wasn't planning on stopping you."

I bit my lip as his fingers moved over me and then slowly slipped inside. My body arched against as he placed an openmouthed kiss on my neck. His lips moved down and across my chest, tasting and teasing, leaving me panting. When he kissed the inside of my thigh it felt like I had no breath left.

Then, as his mouth joined his fingers, I lost all sense. There was nothing left but the feel of his breath and tongue on my most sensitive skin; the way his fingers moved inside of me. His free hand gripped my thigh, so I reached down and threaded our fingers together as warmth started to spread through my body.

Sounds fell from my lips and I didn't try to stop them as his fingers curled and pressed, sending me over the edge quickly. I could feel myself trembling, crying out loudly, and gripping his hand in mine. I sighed when I felt both of his hands on my body and he slowly kissed his way up.

"I'd like to record that sound," he said as he gently nipped at my earlobe. I covered my face with my hand in embarrassment, but he pulled it away and pressed his lips to mine.

"Perv," I managed to say.

"Yep," he responded, burying his face in my neck. "I'd listen to it all the time."

"Shut up."

"I wish I could have seen your face," Edward said softly and I felt my cheeks burn.

"Edward…"

He laughed and rolled to his side, pulling me against him and brushing my hair from my face.

"Beautiful," he murmured.

"I'm a little distraught over the fact that I'm completely naked and you're fully dressed, you know," I said once I recovered my voice. He grumbled and slipped off my bed. I laughed as he yanked off his t-shirt and threw it at me and then stripped down to his boxers. I slipped on his shirt and crawled under the covers, throwing them to the side so he could join me.

"Better?" He asked as he slid his hand down my side and lifted my leg over his hip.

"Much," I whispered and ran my hand down his bare chest. I stopped at the top of his boxers and he sucked in a breath.

"Careful, sweetheart."

I kissed his chin and felt him shudder under my fingers. He grabbed my hand and pulled it up to his chest.

"Not now." He squeezed my hand and kissed my forehead. I frowned but agreed, and settled for kissing and touching him where I could. The little shudders and gasps were enough for the time being as I took my time exploring him. A little raised area of skin caused me to turn the lights on and pull the covers off of us.

"Where did you get this?" I touched a scar just over his ribs.

"Trying to climb a barbed-wire fence with Emmett when I was twelve." I could hear the smile in his voice.

"And this one?" I kissed one on the other side, a little lower.

"Football on First Beach with Jacob. Rogue driftwood."

My fingers skimmed over his body again and came to rest just above his hip.

"How about this?"

When he didn't answer, I looked up to find him staring at the ceiling and chewing his lip.

"Edward?"

"It's a long story," he muttered.

"You don't have a tell me."

"I told you my real dad wasn't a nice guy…"

"Oh," I whispered and touched the thin white line on his body.

"It was just once. After that my mom left him."

I made my way back up his body and kissed him gently, before laying my head next to his. He kissed my forehead and I pulled him closer, my body still buzzing from its earlier excitement. I wanted to repay him, to ease some of that frustration that I knew he felt because I felt the same.

"You went quiet on me, sweetheart. I like it when you're loud. What happened?"

"Just thinking," I replied and slipped my hand into his.

"About…?"

"Scars."

"Mine don't bother me anymore, if that's what you're thinking." He kissed my knuckles as he turned so he was facing me and pulled the blankets back over us. I tucked my head under his chin and enjoyed the warmth that spread as our bodies pressed together.

I sighed contentedly. "Mine don't either."


	14. Surprising

**Hullo. Thanks to ThatIsRiddik and killerlashes for dealing with me, and to all of you for reading and reviewing. If you're reviewing as a guest - THANK YOU - I can't reply, so there it is. ;) **

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down - Surprising

**Leah **

The next morning I dreaded opening my eyes, for fear that the man next to me might actually disappear. I opened them grudgingly and silently took it all in. The smell of his skin, the smooth rise and fall of his chest, the beat of his heart under my palm.

Edward was still very much there with me. I smiled and pressed my lips to his chest, and then shifted against him. His arm fell from my waist as I lifted myself onto my elbow so I could look down at him. My fingers itched to run over his skin, the slope of his nose and the perfect curve of his jaw. To touch his lips feel them against mine first thing in the morning.

So, instead of thinking about it all morning, I leaned down and kissed him softly, hoping he'd wake up like my own personal Sleeping Beauty.

As a Disney Princess, my boyfriend was disappointing. He simply rubbed a hand over his face and turned away from me. I took the opportunity to place a kiss under his ear and let my fingers wander over his chest.

"Rise and shine," I whispered to his neck. He muttered something incoherent and turned back to me, eyes still closed and mouth searching for contact. I gave him what he wanted, hell what I wanted, and my body started to tingle at the contact.

"Trust me, sweetheart. I'm up," he said with a quiet chuckle as he swept my hair away from my face and kissed me once more. Our bodies moved until we were pressed against each other under my sheets and I finally caught the meaning of his words.

He most definitely was _up._

I laughed breathlessly and pushed his shoulder until he was on his back again. With what I hoped was a sexy smirk I moved over him. Edward's hands went to my hips, then to my ass, his fingers digging into my flesh and making me very aware that I was bare from the waist down.

"Down, boy," I laughed and grabbed his hands, pinning them over his head and brushing my lips against his.

"Yes, ma'am," he murmured in response as he relaxed under me. I let my hands explore him as I had the night before, taking my time, trying to memorize him. He shivered under my touch and his fingers twitched, but he kept them in place.

My lips pressed to Edward's skin, enjoying the salty taste of him and how his body reacted. His breathing was shallow as I moved lower and pressed a kiss just under his belly button.

"You're in the danger zone, sweetheart." Edward's voice was low as my fingers traced the smattering of hair to the top of his boxers.

I chuckled quietly and met his gaze. His green eyes seemed to be on fire, but the look in them only motivated me more as he lay there, palms up in surrender.

"I like it here," I teased and slipped both of my hands into the side of his boxers. I pushed them down and he lifted his hips to help, sighing a little when I settled back over his thighs and wrapped my hand around him.

"Okay," he whispered, closed his eyes, and rested his hands behind his head.

"Just okay?" I asked, squeezing gently as I began to move my hand.

Edward opened one eye to half-glare at me, and then grinned. "More than okay," he replied.

"Good." I smirked before leaning down and swiping my tongue over the tip of his length. He groaned and his hips bucked, so I did it again before taking him fully into my mouth.

I could hear his labored breathing as I moved over him, using my mouth and hands to bring him to the edge. His fingers threaded into my hair lovingly, not forcing me to move any faster. His hips bucked just the tiniest bit so I took him deeper. I reveled in the sounds he made, in the little whispers that fell from his lips, and how his body began to tremble when my hand slipped further between his legs.

He swore and tried to push me away, but I stayed. The muscles in his thighs tightened as as I took him as deep as I could and he came with a deep groan. Edward's hand slipped from my hair as I pulled back to look at him. His whole body seemed to move with the stress of his breathing and I couldn't help but grin.

It'd been a long time since I'd seen a man look like that because of _me_.

"Holy shit," he muttered, eyes still closed, as I gently nipped my way to his mouth. He swallowed thickly and wrapped both of his hands around my neck when I finally pressed my lips to his. "Perfect way to wake up. Let's do that every day."

I laughed quietly and rested my head in the crook of his neck. "Only if we go to sleep the way we did," I teased. He nodded and rolled until we were on our sides, then brushed my hair from my face. I took a moment to appreciate that he was still naked, running my hand down the muscles in his back to his perfect ass.

"You're an ass girl, huh? Better keep my gym membership," he said as he teased my lips with his. I gave him a squeeze and a grin in response. "You're beautiful, you know? Last night was incredible and this morning…but it only makes me want you that much more."

He dipped his head to press his lips to my neck while one hand gave my hip a gently shove until I was nearly flat on my back.

"I'm not complaining," I all but gasped as his fingers slipped between my thighs, touching and teasing but nothing more.

"Good. Good to know," he said softly as he withdrew his hand and sat up.

"Tease!" I grabbed a pillow and smacked him with it while he laughed.

"I gave you all my moves last night! You'll get bored if I keep doing the same thing!"

I felt my cheeks heat up as I sat to face him. "I will most definitely _not_ get bored," I said with a raised eyebrow.

Edward took my chin in his hand and drew me into a kiss. "Also good to know."

I opened my mouth to respond, but Harry's cry on the baby monitor silenced it.

"Reality awaits." Edward grinned, slipped out of my bed, and began to pull on his clothes. He patted his bare chest and then looked at me expectantly.

"Oh, fine." I tugged off his t-shirt and tossed it at him, leaving me naked in the middle of my bedroom. "What?" I asked when he glared at me.

"You have an extra toothbrush?" was all he said.

"Under the sink," I told him as I pulled on my own clothes. He brushed his teeth and kissed my head as he passed me.

"I'll make coffee."

I nodded and watched him walk out of the bedroom, not even trying to hide the stupid smile on my face.

xXx

**Edward **

"We are really going to have to talk about your timing, little man," I muttered as I pulled a t-shirt over Harry's head. He simply yawned and held his arms out to me so I lifted him up and patted his back gently. I couldn't stay mad at him, he was too cute.

I set out to make coffee, but found that Leah was out, so I put on my shoes and Harry's and headed back to Leah's bedroom.

"I'm going to the coffee shop, requests?"

"Oh, a chocolate croissant? And maybe a bear claw for later?" She batted her eyelashes at me and held out her hands to Harry, but he clung to my shirt. "Are you taking your barnacle with you?" She lovingly glared at her son.

I laughed and kissed her quickly. "Yes. We'll be back soon."

I gathered Harry's little umbrella stroller, a small bag and a bottle, and then opened the door just in time to catch a tall, dark-haired man mid-knock. For a moment I saw red, clutching Harry just a little too tightly in my arms, until my rage settled. When I did I could see the friendly, albeit confused, face of Seth Clearwater.

"Cullen? What are you doing here? Where's Leah?" He frowned and glanced from me to Harry and then behind me.

"Hey, can you get some…Seth?" I heard Leah behind me and shifted so she could pass. Seth grinned and pulled her into a hug that lifted her off her feet. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you could use some support…I guess I'm a little late," he said with a nod in my direction.

"You remember Edward, right?"

"Yeah. I guess I just didn't know you guys were close," Seth said as his eyes moved from me to Harry again.

"A recent development," I replied with a wink at Leah. Her cheeks flushed and I fought the urge to laugh. "Harry and I are going to grab some coffee, so Leah can explain everything while I'm gone."

"Coward," she muttered so I kissed her cheek and slipped between the two of them with Harry still clinging to me.

"See you in a few," I called with a quick nod in her direction.

Once we were on the street I opened up the stroller and set Harry in it. His big eyes were reproachful as I strapped him in and I couldn't help but laugh. I knew I had been spoiling him, but I actually liked it. Of course, I couldn't very well carry him _and_ breakfast, so he would just have to get used to it.

After I ordered everything to take back to the apartment I settled at a little table with some fresh fruit for Harry. I figured it would give time for Leah to spend time with Seth, plus he was getting a little cranky.

"Oh, you don't like that one, do you?" I laughed as he grimaced and spit out a piece of pineapple. Harry simply held out a sticky fist for something else. I bit a grape in half and handed him the smaller piece, not even thinking about it. I tried not to think about how some things had become second nature since spending more time with Harry. I was constantly aware of what he was doing and where he was, and had become pretty attuned to his moods and faces.

"He is the _cutest!"_ a syrupy voice said from the table next to me. An automatic smile crossed my face as I looked up to find two blonde college-aged girls watching us. "How old is he?"

"Uh, he's almost one," I replied as I pulled a wipe out and starting to clean Harry up. He fussed at me until I pulled him out of the stroller and into my lap.

"What's his name?" the other one asked.

"Harry?"

"Oh, like Harry from One Direction?"

I didn't know what a One Direction was, so I just shook my head.

"Ah, no. He's named after my girlfriend's father."

_Girlfriend_, the first girl mouthed to her friend. I bit back my laugh and stood up. Harry protested loudly when I tried to put him back in the stroller, so I stuck the coffee and food in the seat and carried him back to the apartment.

I set Harry down once we were back at Leah's and he toddled off to the living room. I could hear Leah greet him, and then footsteps to the kitchen.

"You guys have fun?" she asked as she kissed my cheek and took the coffee I handed her.

"Harry was trying to pick up women. We really should have a talk with him," I told her with a grin.

Seth laughed from the kitchen doorway. "Start 'em young, that's what I always say," he teased.

"Hush. He's too young to be a ladies man. And you-" she pointed an accusing finger at me.

"Don't worry about me, sweetheart." I winked. Seth gazed between us with a small smile.

"I don't." She squeezed my arm and took the plate of pastries I'd unpacked, carrying it to the dining room and leaving Seth and I alone.

"So. You and my sister."

"If that's what she told you, yes." I shrugged.

"She told me enough."

I stayed silent.

"You make her happy."

I smiled.

"Don't fuck that up," he threatened lowly.

"Seth!" Leah chastised from the dining room.

"I don't scare easily, just so you know." I patted his shoulder and joined Leah and Harry at the table.

"It's true, you know," Leah said as Seth trudged in. "The first night he met Harry he got puked on." She grinned at me.

"Your nephew has incredible aim," I laughed and sipped my coffee.

"Well, it's good to know you're being looked after," Seth replied dryly with an affectionate look at Harry.

Leah kissed her son's head and glanced at me, her dark eyes shining with her smile. "Yeah…I am."

* * *

**I swear there's a plot to this story. I hoping to find it once RL settles down a bit. XOXO**


	15. Smiling

**Hi. Hope you're still here. Sorry for the wait and for not doing review replies. Thanks to ThatIsRiddik and killerlashes for taking care of me, and thank you for reading! **

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Pulling Heaven Down – Smiling

**Edward**

"Seriously," Seth sighed. "I'm tired of looking at the two of you. Just go."

I glanced up from the television to Seth, and then down to where Harry had passed out face-down, looking like the world's tiniest drunken frat boy, after an hour or so of playing with his uncle. Leah sat next to me on the couch, and Seth was on the loveseat. We hadn't been doing anything except occasionally brushing hands against each other or smiling, so Leah frowned at her brother and then shifted her gaze to me. I shrugged.

"Where are we going to go?" she asked.

"I don't care where you go, just take your _loooooove_ pheromones somewhere else!"

I choked on a laugh and shook my head while Leah's cheeks flamed.

"But what about-"

"Uncle Seth can handle the fort; you two lovebirds go to a movie or something." Seth waved toward the door.

I stood up after a moment of consideration and held my hand out for Leah.

"C'mon. He's offering free babysitting and we never get that." I grinned and she nodded enthusiastically.

"That's very true. There are bottles made up and snacks on the counter. Call me if he gets fussy…do you even know how to change a diaper?"

_"Yes."_ Seth rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. "Just go. You two crazy kids have fun, all right? Just be back before curfew!"

Leah was still trying to shout instructions as the door closed behind us.

"What do we even do?" Leah laughed as I led her down the stairs and out onto the bright, midday street.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and dipped my head to kiss her quickly.

"Well, what do you want to do?"

"I've kind of always wanted to go to Pike Place Market…" She bit her lip and looked at me like I was going to say no.

"Lead the way, sweetheart."

"They've got crafts and food and stuff…" She trailed off.

"I said let's go," I laughed.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Anything you want."

"Well, you might just be sorry you said that, handsome." Leah smiled mischievously.

"Maybe not," I teased her as she we made our way to the bus stop. We rode downtown, enjoying the scenery on the bus and trying to not to laugh at all the poor souls who accompanied us.

"Public transportation sure is interesting," Leah muttered as we stepped off the bus and onto the busy sidewalk.

"Well, that gentleman had a lot of friends. Unfortunately they all lived in his head. I really wish he would have kept his conversations down."

"Do you see a lot of people like that? At work, I mean," Leah queried while strolled leisurely toward Pike Place Market.

I shrugged. "We have our fair share. It's definitely interesting, like you said."

"I can't imagine some of the stuff you have to see." She shuddered a little and gripped my hand.

"It's not _all_ good, that's for sure. But on the bright side…" I trailed off, trying to find the right words to say without sounding like a completely corny asshole.

She looked up at me curiously. "There's a bright side?"

"Yeah. There's always a bright side. I still get the warm fuzzies when I know I helped someone feel better than they did when they came in to the hospital." I smiled and kissed the back of her hand. "Outside of work, it's you."

"What's me?"

"You're my bright side."

Leah snorted, but her pretty cheeks were flushed. "Shut up," she mumbled.

"I mean it."

"Oh, look. Here we are," Leah's voice was dull and I resisted the urge to laugh. I didn't understand why she couldn't take a compliment sometimes. Well, I guess I did understand, but I wanted her to know just how important she was in my life.

"Where to first?" I asked and she shrugged.

"I didn't really have a plan in mind," she admitted sheepishly. "I just kind of wanted to…"

I nodded and cleared my throat, not needing to hear what she was going to say because I already knew.

As much as we both loved being with Harry…it was nice to spend some time alone. Especially after the night that we'd had. Not that we needed to _talk _about anything. Our relationship was progressing and some things were inevitable, I supposed. Of course, what had happened only made me want her that much more- fully, wholly. Part of me wanted to turn around from that damned market and drag her back to my apartment where we could spend a few hours getting to know each other better. I wanted to know what I could do to make those sounds come from her again; I wanted to hear her say my name…

"Edward?"

"Uh, what?" I muttered and looked down at Leah, who had a slightly bemused expression on her face.

"I asked where you wanted to go," she laughed.

"Oh, this looks good." I pointed to the closest place and she rolled her eyes.

"House of Woks?" She smirked so I leaned down and kissed her.

"If I had time to cook, you know…"

"Come on. There's a place down the corner Angela told me about."

We walked for a bit, dancing in and out of the sun the peeked through the separation of the awnings over the shop doors.

"Angela bought some of these for her nieces," Leah told me as we stepped into a little shop that sold wooden puzzles. "I thought Harry might like them."

"They'll be great for fine motor skills and shape recognition and…" I trailed off when she raised an eyebrow at me.

"Them's big words," she teased.

"They're really cute?" I grinned and she nodded. We spent a good half-hour choosing a puzzle for Harry (that Leah wouldn't let me pay for) before we exited the store and found ourselves back on the busy sidewalk.

After an hour or so going through a few more shops we stopped for ice cream and settled on the grass in the middle of the square.

"Your sweet tooth is a little threatening, you know," Leah said as she lifted a spoonful of cake batter ice cream to her lips. I'd gone a little overboard with the sweets once I started working at Harborview, but I couldn't help it. The nurses were always bringing goodies in and those late nights got rough. I was going to end up with the "sugar diabeetus", as one of my elderly patients had once called it, if I didn't get a handle on it.

"Threatening to what?"

"Mostly my ass," she explained and I laughed.

"Your ass is perfect. Keep eating, sweetheart." I winked and kept eating my own scoop of rocky road. While she ate, Leah kicked off her shoes and ran her bare feet over the soft green grass, and completely ignored my comment about her ass.

"Harry hates the feel of grass under his feet," she said with a fond smile.

"Really?"

"I took him to the park a few days ago and he pitched a fit when his shoe fell off. It was hard not to laugh." A small grin formed on her pretty lips and I chuckled quietly.

"He's definitely got some quirks. It's what I love about him," I said softly. Her eyes widened for the briefest of moments and then her gaze moved back to her little cup of ice cream.

"Well, Mr. Perfect, what are your little quirks?" Leah recovered after a moment and turned her big, doe eyes on me.

"I like to drive barefoot."

She laughed and thought for a moment. "I only eat red Skittles."

"When I was a kid I was afraid of the movie _Fantasia_. I think it was the dancing brooms."

"I can't drink from soda cans. I have to have a straw."

"Weirdo. I hate the sight of blood," I confessed.

"You're a doctor!"

"I am," I laughed and reached over to take her last spoonful of ice cream. "I push through for the patients."

Leah slapped my hand away. "Of course, they're lucky to have you."

"I'm blushing. Am I blushing?" I joked.

"Take a compliment, _doctor_."

"Yes ma'am." I took the cup from her hand and set it on the grass, then pulled her against me as I carefully laid back in the grass.

It was easy to let my mind wander with her head on my shoulder and my fingers in her hair. Last night was the first time in a long time I'd slept in a bed with another person, and I knew the same to be true for Leah. Of course, it was the best sleep I'd had in months, too.

"I have my mediation Wednesday," she said after a moment. Her fingers moved in circles over my t-shirt and I clutched her just a little bit tighter.

"I know."

"Part of me really wants you to be there, but…" She sat up and stared off into the square.

"Always a but," I chuckled and she turned to me, smiling.

"I think it would be best if you weren't there. I don't want Sam to be able to use you in any sort of way to justify the way he's behaved."

"I was thinking the same thing, to be honest."

Leah nodded. "I didn't want you to think I was pushing you away."

I sat up and rubbed my fingers on the back of her neck. "I'd never think that, sweetheart," I murmured before pulling her into a kiss.

"Okay."

"I…I have to do some stuff this week too." I brushed my fingers along her jaw and enjoyed the way the blood rushed to her cheeks.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah…yeah, it's just- it's been a year, you know," I said softly. "Since Jake."

"Oh. Oh, Edward. How could I forget?" She turned away, stricken, and rested her hand over her heart.

"You've had a lot on-"

"Don't." Leah shook her head and closed her eyes. "He was my best friend, too."

I laughed as I pulled her face to mine and forced her to meet my gaze. "I feel like we were constantly fighting over him."

"_I can't, dude, I told Leah I'd hang out with her." Jacob tossed the football back to me with a small shrug. _

"_Oh? Are you both on your periods?" I snorted and threw the ball back with a little extra speed. _

"_C'mon, man. Leah is to me what Bella is to you." _

"_A huge pain in the ass?" I joked and Jacob laughed loudly. _

"_Yes. A huge pain in the ass who happens to be my very good friend. Now, seriously. If you keep throwing like a girl you'll never get to state." _

"He was pretty popular between the three of us."

"You know, all you had to do was date me and everything would have been perfect," I told her with a small smile.

"Still hurt over that bonfire, aren't you, Cullen?"

"I'll never get over it." I rested a hand over my heart and pouted. Leah laughed softly and rested her head on my shoulder.

"What are you going to do with Bella?"

"We'll probably just go to Fran's and have dinner. Maybe go to the beach," I explained. Fran's was Jacob's favorite place on the highway between Forks and La Push. He joked that it was because Bella could meet him there and he didn't have to face Charlie, but I knew it was because it was the first place he'd ever saw her.

"That sounds nice," she whispered to my shirt.

"I hope so," I whispered back. "You and I could do something this weekend if you'd like. Go to the cemetery or something."

"You know, I was thinking about that. Maybe going out for the Fourth, too- doing something for Harry's birthday and watching fireworks. Dinner at my mom's or something, nothing big."

"Sounds perfect to me." I kissed her forehead and shifted in my spot, feeling something in my back pocket. "Oh, I almost forgot." I pulled out a little cloth bag and dropped it into her lap.

"Edward…" Her voice held a hint of warning.

"What? They made me think of you, so shut up." I took the bag and tipped the contents into my hand. She took the earrings and held them up, admiring the sparkling and deep purple crystals that dangled from her fingers before clasping them in her hand and practically attacking me.

We fell back, laughing, as her lips pressed against mine.

"They're beautiful," she murmured once she'd pulled back.

"And so are you."

"You're such a goober," Leah teased, though her dark eyes were serious. I laughed and kissed her again because, yeah, I was little corny but it made her smile.

That made all the ridicule in the world totally worth it.

"What time are you going to turn into a pumpkin?" she asked quietly.

I glanced at my watch and frowned. "About seven."

Leah sighed and rested her head in the crook of my neck.

"And when will you return from saving the world one crazy patient at a time?"

"Probably not until Saturday," I offered.

"Ugh. I thought dating a doctor was supposed to be glamorous parties and fancy dinners all the time!" Leah teased as she settled on her elbow and gazed down at me.

I grinned and brushed her hair from her face.

"Maybe in about twenty years," I laughed. She giggled, though I could tell it was forced. After all, that was two _big serious things_ I'd mentioned during our day.

"But you'll be able to come to La Push?"

"Of course, I'll let my mom know, too. She'd probably love to see you now that she doesn't think I'm a polygamist."

That time she laughed for real.

"Sounds perfect."

I pulled her back down and held her close, intent on finishing our last few hours together without any mention of Sam or work or anything else that could ruin the rest of our day.


	16. Seeing

**Thanks to my two favorite girls for helping me out and to all of you for reading. XOXO**

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Pulling Heaven Down – Seeing

**Edward**

"Are you sure you have to go?" Leah asked with her hands on my chest and her big eyes staring up at me.

"I wish I didn't," I murmured and pressed my lips to her forehead.

"You look like you've got something to say, what is it?" she asked, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me closer.

"Nothing. I just hate leaving you, you know that." I did want to tell her something, but we'd talked so much today that I didn't want to put anything thing else heavy on the table at the moment.

"My mom and Seth will be here with me, don't worry," Leah said, and she smiled and kissed my cheek, laughing quietly as two tiny fists attempted to push us apart. She lifted Harry up and smoothed down his messy hair.

"Tell Edward 'bye-bye'," she told him, and I swear the kid glared at me. He held his arms out to me, so I took him and kissed his cheek. Harry sighed, too much like his mother, and nestled his head on my shoulder. "You guys are killing me," I muttered.

Leah laughed and took him back before he could get too clingy-baby-sloth on me, reaching up to touch my cheek gently. "We'll see you soon. Call me later," she said as I opened the door.

"I will," I promised, then kissed her quickly.

I left after that, feeling sad about leaving them, like always. They'd become such a huge part of my life that any time I spent away from them felt wrong. Before I left I'd wanted to tell her how it had relaxed I'd been the night before, and how it had been the best sleep I'd had in a long time…just being with her.

Again, I was being a little corny. But at the same time..I'd never felt like _this_ before.

xXx

It was weird to me that the sun was shining on _this_ particular day. Part of me felt like the weather on the day you recognize someone's death should match the mood the memory put you in. But that wasn't the case on Wednesday of that week when Bella and Willow skipped school and work so we could travel to La Push- and if I was being honest with myself, Jake had always been more of a sunny-day guy himself. We'd visited the cemetery briefly, placing fresh flowers on Jake's headstone and then made our way to First Beach, one of his favorite places.

"She's been so good about this, I'm kind of waiting for the bottom to drop out," Bella said softly as we sat and watched Willow run barefoot through the waves.

"I'm sure it will be during her rebellious teenage years," I joked half-heartedly, not wanting to tell Bella I was thinking the same thing about _her_. She'd been so strong that I worried she was going to fall apart at some point…though I did have a history of underestimating her.

"I keep thinking that it's going to get better, but it doesn't, Edward."

"I know." I slipped my arm around her shoulders, and she rested her head on my shoulder and sniffled loudly.

_I came out of the classroom quickly and nearly stepped on a pile of books. _

"_Watch where you're going, jerk!" a voice cried out after I almost fell over. _

"_Hey, you're the one sitting on the floor!" I nearly yelled, and then immediately felt guilty when the girl on the floor looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes. "Uh…are you okay?" _

"_Fine," she grumbled as she gathered her books. "I just hate this stupid town and these stupid people and this stupid school and-" _

"_Whoa there, Tiger. How about I help you to class and you take a moment to rein in the rage, huh?" _

_She sighed and forced a smile. "I'm sorry. I'm Bella, I'm new here if you hadn't guessed that already." _

"_I'm Edward, and I'm not nearly as stupid as I look," I grinned and she laughed quietly. _

"_Well, then I guess it's nice to meet you, Edward." _

"I keep thinking that I've made it one year, so the rest should just get easier. How is it supposed to be easier to watch my daughter grow up without a father?"

I just held her and let her ramble; knowing nothing I had to say would make any difference to her. And, to be honest, I didn't have anything to say that could even remotely make either one of us feel better.

After a moment she straightened up and wiped her eyes, then turned to me with a small smile.

"There goes the bottom, huh?"

I laughed softly. "No. You're allowed."

Bella nodded and took my hand in hers. "Thank you for coming with me. I know things are busy with you these days."

"I'm never too busy for you," I said with a frown. "You know that."

"I know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I've just been so…jealous."

"What? Jealous of what?"

Bella raised an eyebrow and looked at me like I was an idiot. I felt my eyes widen.

"You don't…no. You aren't…what?"

She sighed and turned her gaze to her daughter again, and then was quiet for a long moment.

"I thought I might have had feelings for you. Different than how I'd felt all these years."

"Bells…you don't…"

"I might as well tell you, Edward." She gave me a sad smile. "You're so good with Willow and we love spending time with you. Part of me felt like it was just bound to happen, because you were so close to Jake, too. That's stupid, right?"

"Yes. I mean, no. Apparently everyone else thought that was happening with us, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but I've…I love you, Bella. I love Willow, but I'm not…"

"I know. I know that now, I mean."

"This thing I have with Leah is just-"

"You love her," she said, so matter-of-factly that I nearly fell off the piece of driftwood we were sitting on.

"Uh…"

Bella laughed. "It's pretty obvious, Edward."

"Maybe I haven't thought about it in those exact words yet!" I yelled, trying to hold back my laughter.

She reached out and touched my cheek gently. "You're good for her. She needs someone kind like you."

"Do you know much about Sam?"

"No." Bella shrugged. "But I know how he was when we were younger. He was never the nicest guy."

"He really isn't."

"You don't have to protect her, though. She's strong."

"Trust me, I know."

"I'm sorry I was so close-minded before," she whispered.

"Had I known that you were in lo-"

A sharp elbow in my ribs caused me to cut off abruptly.

"Don't be a jerk!"

I chuckled and pulled her close to kiss her temple. "I'm kidding."

"You'd better be," she threatened. I smiled and stayed silent, trying to find the right words to explain what I was feeling.

After a moment, I spoke, "Do you remember after Willow was born and you said that it was like…like you were born for this life? To be with her and Jacob?"

"Yes."

"I feel that way, Bella. Like I don't know what my life was before Leah and Harry. What did I want? To be a doctor? Done. Great. But with them…with them it's so much more."

"What about the custody stuff? What's going to happen with that?" she asked, always trying to be the logical one.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I just know that _I_ need to be in his life- in her life. And they need me, too."

"Good," she replied quietly as she brushed my hair away and rested her head on my shoulder. "You deserve to be happy."

"Okay, enough of this. Are you ready to go eat some pie?" I stood up and held out a hand to help her. Willow ran to us as I dropped Bella's hand, so I lifted her into my arms and spun her around, her blinding grin a carbon copy of her dad's- and a reminder that Jake was still with us in some very important ways.

"Take me to pie!" she yelled with a grin.

A little while later we were sliding into vinyl seats and ordering slices of apple pie and holding up our forks in a silent "cheers" to Jacob. Willow chattered on about school while Bella and I listened, though my mind was on the conversation we'd just had. I hadn't voiced how serious my feelings were until that moment. It felt good to have it off my chest, though I wish I were able to tell it to Leah as well.

We had finished our pie, and Willow was in the middle of a story about a boy in her class who tried to eat a glue stick when the bell over the door rang and a tall man walked in.

The anger seemed to ripple over me, much like it did when I'd mistaken Seth for _him_. Only this time it wasn't a mistake. I'd seen him before, only briefly, and it had been the first time I'd seen Leah: at Jacob's funeral.

I clenched my fists on the table and took a deep breath, trying to hold back my rage. He walked up to the counter and greeted the waitress there by leaning over the counter and kissing her cheek. Was this the reason he left Leah and Harry alone all those nights? Did he treat her like he treated Leah? I couldn't imagine anyone _not_ wanting to be with Harry and Leah. The memories of her coming to me shaking and scared that night made my stomach churn.

"Edward? Are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

Bella followed my gaze, her eyebrows knitted together as she turned back to me. She looked confused for a moment before understanding finally dawned on her face.

I hadn't even realized I'd risen from my seat until Bella spoke.

"Take Willow outside," she told me in a low voice. It took all I had to listen to her and scoop Willow up in my arms. Bella met us at the car a few moments later.

"Hop in, sweetie." She opened the car door and Willow quickly climbed in. "I'm sorry, you looked murderous for a moment there."

"No, you were right."

"Is there something you're not telling me about all of this?"

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, casting one last glance at Sam in the diner. I could see him through the window, smiling and laughing with the girl at the counter, seemingly oblivious to what he was missing out on a few hours down the maybe he just didn't care.

"It's not my place, Bella." I shook my head and opened the car door for her. Much as I'd like to tell Bella- hell, all of the Northwest, for that matter- exactly why Sam Uley deserved to die slowly and painfully, it wasn't my decision to make.

She didn't ask any more questions as we drove back to Seattle. Instead we made small talk about the weather and Harry's upcoming party. We talked about Leah's family and how supportive they'd been, about our own parents and how they kept each other busy when we weren't around- our dads played golf, and my mom made sure Charlie was fed at least once a week. They each kept us up on small-town gossip and the goings on of our high school friends. Bella and I traded gossip for a while until we finally made it back to the city and she dropped me off at my apartment.

It only took me a few moments to grab my car keys and head to Leah's. I knew she was giving me my time with Bella and Willow, but I also knew that I'd just seen her ex smiling and happy after their mediation.

I was only a little surprised to see Sue answer the door when I finally reached Leah's apartment.

"Edward, come in," she greeted me with a warm smile and stepped aside to let me in.

"I don't mean to intrude, I wasn't sure if you would still be here," I told her as I moved inside the apartment and saw Seth sitting on the couch.

"We were going to head to dinner, you should join us," Sue explained. "Leah's just getting Harry dressed."

I gave her a quick nod and found my way to Harry's bedroom. Leah wasn't dressing him however; she was sitting in her rocking chair holding him tightly.

"Hey," I said quietly from the door.

"Hi." Leah gave me a small smile. I went to her and knelt beside the chair.

"How did it go?"

"Well, it's not as bad as I thought it would be," she answered with a forced smile.

"What does that mean?"

"He wants weekly visits- supervised. Every Saturday. Not overnight, thankfully."

"And you agreed?" I asked skeptically.

"I had to, Edward. God only knows what would have happened had I fought him." She closed her eyes and leaned her head back.

"I should have been there," I muttered and shook my head.

Leah reached out and touched my cheek softly. "No, Edward. You were exactly where you needed to be."

I sighed and kissed her palm, then helped her up. She handed Harry off to me and smoothed her shirt down.

"Mom's dragging me out to dinner to make sure I'm not suicidal or something," she joked lightly as we made our way back down the hall. I forced a laugh, though I found nothing funny about her statement. I was worried about how she was going to take being separated from Harry- even for just a day. There was also the matter of the girl in the diner…and Sam. I let the sighting of Sam slide for the time being, not wanting to upset her anymore than she already was. I knew she was trying to be strong for Harry and her family, but underneath it all I could tell she was scared.

Dinner was a quiet event, and both Sue and Seth went back to La Push afterwards. Back at her apartment I put Harry to bed while Leah changed. She met me in the hallway, immediately wrapping her arms around me and burying her face in my chest. I smoothed down her hair and tipped her face up, not really surprised to see that there were unshed tears in her eyes.

"I wish I could make this all go away for you," I murmured before kissing her softly.

"I know you do," she replied against my lips.

"Tell me what you need me to do."

"Just stay with me. Please?"

I nodded and kissed her again, relieved that she wasn't going to push me away and hoping that the feeling would last.


	17. Saying

**Ohai. Thanks to everyone. Hugs all around. Yay. :)**

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down - Saying

"Can I help you with anything?" Edward asked from behind me while I finished off the icing on Harry's red, white, and blue Captain Americabirthday cake in my mother's kitchen. I was having a hard time, not only dealing with the fact that my baby was a year old, but that he would be spending part of the day with Sam. Edward had been incredibly supportive, though. I felt like I'd been taking advantage of his kindness, even though he insisted that he loved being with us.

_Loved_ being with us.

"No thanks, baby. I can take care of it," I said as I turned and licked a swipe of frosting from my finger. He raised an eyebrow at me and slowly stepped closer.

"Are you absolutely sure you don't need any help in here?" His voice was low as his arms slipped around my waist and he dipped his head to kiss me softly.

"Well, if that's what you mean by help…" I laughed and pulled him closer, reveling in the _little_ bit of time we were able to spend alone together.

_I carefully slipped out of Edward's embrace and down the hall to Harry's room. He was holding the railing of his crib and crying softly, so I lifted him up and tried to soothe him back to sleep. _

_He wanted nothing to do with sleep after a few moments. _

"_Just bring him in here," Edward's voice was thick with sleep. I turned to see him in only his boxers and a mess of disheveled hair, standing in the doorway._

"_You go back to sleep, he'll be out soon," I lied, not wanting to disturb Edward's sleep. I knew how precious it was to him. _

"_Don't be so hard-headed," he laughed and took my son from me, and then turned away, heading back down the hall. _

_I followed and watched as Edward settled back into my bed with Harry in the middle. It wasn't that I was upset about it, but selfishly, I missed my alone time with Edward. _

_With a sigh, I slipped back into bed. Edward was on his side, his hand resting on Harry's back, rubbing gentle circles til his eyes fluttered closed. _

"_Let's not make a habit out of this, little man," Edward whispered for my benefit. I tried to glare at him, but I really did love the moments I got to see them together. _

"There's a ninety-percent chance my mom will most likely try to apologize to you later for my birthday, with a seventy-five percent chance of extreme awkwardness, so just nod and smile, okay?"

I plastered on a huge, cheesy smile and wrapped my arms around his neck. "How's that?"

"Perfect." He grinned and kissed my nose. "Come on, Harry keeps looking around for you."

My stomach dropped at the thought of him not knowing where I was, and Edward could tell.

"I didn't mean it like that, Leah." He was quick to pull me back against his chest. "He's having fun."

"I just keep thinking about sending him off later and…"

"I know, sweetheart. It's hard for me to think about, I can't imagine what's going through your head."

"It's silly. I know he'll be fine- that Sam will be..." I swallowed hard. "Good with him."

"He'll be fine," Edward echoed and pressed his lips to my forehead. "Let's go have some fun in the meantime, huh?"

I nodded and forced a smile again, then followed him out into my mother's backyard. My mom and Seth were joined by Edward's parents, Emmett and his family, and Bella and Willow. It was just a small gathering, but I knew that everyone there cared for Harry and that was all that mattered.

Outside we found Rose and Bella sitting in the grass while Willow chased the boys around. I joined them on the ground while Edward joined the chase.

"Idiot," Rose muttered fondly. Bella and I laughed as we watched until Edward purposely tumbled into the grass and all the kids fell on top of him. He yelled and pretended to struggle, which only made them laugh harder. Eventually Willow and Michael gave up on him, but Harry climbed into Edward's lap and rested his head on Edward's shoulder, yawning.

"We better hurry up and do cake before he passes out," Bella said as she stood up and brushed off her pale legs. She smiled at me as I stood, but the look in her eyes was different than I had been experiencing with her. For once she looked incredibly sincere.

Cake was messy and entertaining, and my son was thrilled with the _idea_ of being covered in frosting. Of course, after a few moments of the icing between his fingers and on his face, he was tired of it, and I took him inside for a bath.

I took the time to have a pep-talk with myself and spend a few minutes alone with my little boy after he was cleaned up and dressed.

"Leah?" my mother called from the kitchen. "He's here."

"And the social worker?"

"Also here."

"It's showtime, little man," I whispered and kissed Harry's head. He just smiled up at me, completely unaware.

I grabbed Harry's bag as I made my way outside. Edward was waiting for me at the door with a sad smile. It was a little comforting to know I wasn't the only one for whom this was going to be difficult.

"He has someone with him," Edward said as he took the bag from me.

"Someone? Like who? The social worker?"

"No, someone else. A girl. Your mom seemed to know her." He shrugged and I almost laughed.

"I'm not jealous, if that's what you're getting at."

Edward chuckled quietly. "No, I'm not. I just didn't want you to be surprised."

As it turned out I _was_ fairly surprised. Of course, not that Sam had a girlfriend because I'd known that for months. More because of the simple fact that the girlfriend was my fucking _cousin_.

"Emily," I managed to say through my clenched teeth. I felt Edward's hand on my shoulder as he handed the bag over to Sam and shook his hand.

"Hey," was all she said, so I turned to Sam, trying to keep my face impassive. The social worker interrupted me before I could speak.

"I'm Jane Thompson. I'll be working with you guys for the next few weeks." The petite woman on Sam's other side offered me a warm smile and shook my hand.

"Nice to meet you," I replied, willing myself to relax.

"Anything I need to know before we get going?" Sam asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"There're bottles, snacks, toys…all kinds of things if he gets fussy. He hasn't had a nap yet, but he usually sleeps for about an hour or so. You can call if you need anything or he gets to be too much or-"

"I think I can handle it," Sam laughed good-naturedly, a complete one-eighty from the man that had shown up at my door.

"_I just want time with my son, is that too much to ask?"_

_I rolled my eyes. "You never wanted time with him before, why now?" _

"_Maybe because you disappeared for three months and I don't even know what he looks like anymore!" _

"_You know-" my mother's hand on my arm made me bite my tongue. _

_I had disclosed everything that happened between Sam and I to my lawyer, so we eventually settled on weekly supervised visits, but I wasn't exactly thrilled with the outcome. _

"_Seems like you can't control everything,can you?" He said with a smirk as we exited the office while I struggled to keep my temper under control. _

"Okay, then," I sighed and pressed my lips to Harry's head. He looked at me with big, uncertain eyes, like he finally knew what was happening. "I'll see you soon," I whispered as I handed him over to Sam. Harry, to everyone's surprise, didn't protest. He seemed a bit shocked, but there were no tears.

"We'll be back at seven o'clock."

Edward's hand tightened on my shoulder as we watched them walk away. I waited until Harry was strapped in a car seat and both Sam and the social worker's car were out of the driveway before I turned around.

"So…now what?" I asked, my lower lip trembling. Edward didn't say anything. He just pulled me into a tight embrace and stroked my hair for a long moment.

"Let's blow this Popsicle stand," he murmured against my temple. I nodded against him and let him lead me away from the house and to his car, not even asking where we were going or worrying about everyone else.

I watched the scenery as we drove, until the trees turned into homes and I realized we were in Forks.

"What are we doing here?" I wrinkled my nose as we turned into the Forks High parking lot.

Edward laughed and took my hand. "Escaping?"

"Are you planning on reliving your glory days?" I grinned as he pulled up to the football field.

"Not a chance. Let's go."

I let him lead me to the top of the bleachers and pull me down next to him, his arm tight around my shoulders.

"Are you going to tell you about how you used to come out here and think about your hopes and dreams?"

"Nope," he answered simply.

"No? Nothing about how you ran up and down the bleachers in the rain while you listened to 'Eye of the Tiger'?"

"Not at all."

"Then why are what are we doing?"

"I wanted to be alone with you." Edward shrugged against me and I laughed.

"We didn't have to come all the way to Forks to do that!"

"Maybe I'm living out some high school fantasy by bringing you here," he teased.

"You want to go _under_ the bleachers?" I wiggled my eyebrows and he shook his head. "Darn." I pouted. Edward just smiled and held me close. He didn't speak for a long moment.

"The first time I met Jake we were playing freshman football. He totally laid me out, and then helped me up, and he had this huge, stupid smile on his face. I wanted to punch him," Edward said with a wistful expression.

"He had that effect on people," I said with a small laugh.

"After the game he came up to me and apologized. I thought he was crazy, you know? Who apologizes for laying someone out playing _football_?"

"Jake."

Edward smiled. "I brought him out here a few weeks before…before he died. We threw a ball around and talked."

"You snuck a cancer patient out of the hospital?" I gave him an incredulous look and his smile turned to a full-blown grin. "What kind of doctor are you?"

"Technically, I was still in med school." Edward winked at me and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"I always thought it was weird that you guys were friends," I told him.

"Me too," he admitted. "I was crazy jealous when he started dating Bella, too."

"Really? Why?"

"I might have _briefly_ had a thing for her."

"Edward," I groaned and covered my face with my hand.

"It was brief! I was fifteen!" He defended himself as all my nightmares merged into one.

"I always knew the three of you were too close…"

Edward laughed loudly and kissed my cheek. "That'd be a story to tell."

"It would…why are you telling me all this anyways?"

"I don't know. I guess I just needed to talk about him…and to take your mind off everything else."

"You don't get to talk about him much, do you?"

He shook his head slowly and I felt my throat tighten at the thought of how this man put his own needs aside for everyone else- including me.

I touched his cheek softly and pulled his face to mine, overwhelmed with emotion, too many things going through my head to speak. So I just kissed him and tried not to feel sorry for him, because I knew he wouldn't in a million years want that.

He pulled away and touched my lips as those grass green eyes burned into mine. There were so many things I wanted to say to him in that moment, but I knew I just wasn't ready yet.

"Let's get out of here."

I nodded and held out my hand, which he took and let me lead him back to the car.

"Thank you for listening," Edward said before he opened the car door for me.

"Thank you for talking to me," I replied whole-heartedly.

He smiled and kissed me once more before closing the door and getting in his own side.

We went back to my mother's house, where no one had seemed to notice that we were gone. Or, if they had, they kept their thoughts about it to themselves.

When Harry returned at seven, both mine and Edward's mood lifted exponentially.

"How did he do?" I asked as Sam handed our son over to me. Harry smiled and gently tapped my face with his little hand.

"Good." Sam shrugged and reached out to tickle Harry. "So, you didn't mention you were seeing someone at our meeting."

"Well, you didn't mention it either," I countered with narrowed eyes.

"I didn't think it was that important."

"Neither did I," I answered coolly. "It would have been nice to have a heads-up about Emily, though. She's my cousin after all..."

He opened his mouth to respond, but Jane interrupted us, probably familiar enough with the signs of impending disaster to head this one off at the pass.

"Okay, guys. Same time next week?" she asked with a bright smile. I nodded. "Great, here's my card if anything changes." She handed us each a card and quickly left.

"See you next time," Sam muttered before following Jane's path.

I sighed and kissed Harry's head, holding him tightly to me. He protested, going squirmy, so I set him down and watched him try to climb the front steps of my mother's house to get to Edward. Edward grinned at his efforts and quickly scooped him up from the third step and kissed his cheek. I smiled at them as my worries about Sam took a backseat to the happiness that I was suddenly feeling.

A little while later we made the trek back to Forks for the fireworks show, something that my family always enjoyed, even though we also participated in Celebration Days on the reservation.

"You ready for this?" Edward asked Harry as he jiggled him gently. Harry laughed and clapped until the first boom startled him into tears.

Edward looked perplexed as he tried to calm him down, but it was no use. After a few moments, my mother took Harry and sat in the car away from the noise.

"Oh well," Edward sighed. "Maybe next year," he said as he pulled me against his side. My heart seemed to stutter at his words and the mention of 'next year'. I turned to him slowly, taking in his face until the glow of the fireworks and, all of a sudden, what I was too scared to say earlier seemed to be right on the tip of my tongue.

"Edward, I-"

"Edward? Can you put me on your shoulders?" Willow's little voice interrupted my potentially life changing statement and I tried not to glare. I wanted to be angry with her, but the joy in her eyes as Edward lifted her up was enough for me to forgive her for the time being.

I stepped away from them in an attempt to get myself back together and found myself next to Bella.

"Hey." She nudged me with her shoulder.

"Hey." I gave her a smile.

"Thanks for inviting us out today. It was nice to see everyone again."

"I'm glad you came."

"I need to apologize to you, Leah," she said after a moment.

"Please don't. Edward's mother already apologized to me and it was incredibly awkward. Besides, you don't have anything to apologize for," I told her with a soft laugh.

"I do. I mean…I wasn't too gung-ho on this relationship, if Edward didn't tell you."

I shook my head. "He didn't."

"Oh. Well, now I just sound like a crazy bitch," Bella laughed. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"Just shut up," I whispered.

"But I really need to-"

"No."

She sighed. "Fine."

We left shortly after the fireworks, after saying goodbye to Edward's parents and promising my mother that we would come back for Celebration Days. I was quiet on the way back, too nervous to open my mouth for fear of what I would say. Edward noticed, but didn't mention anything. The glances that he kept sending me were enough to know he was worried. I tried not to laugh.

Eventually my words caught up with me, though. Unfortunately it was just as Edward leaned into the backseat to take my sleeping son from his car seat.

"I love you," I nearly exclaimed, and then cringed at my frankness. Edward jerked up and hit his head on the doorframe. His hand went to his head as he stared at me with wide eyes. "I'm sorry. This is…not how I planned that happening. I know it's only been a couple of months and it's completely crazy- but I do. I love how you make me feel and how you are with my son. I love the fact that you love _him_ and the way you treat everyone you meet. I love you, Edward."

He didn't say anything for a long while and I began to worry as I watched him run his hand over his face and then take a cautious step toward me. Of course, my worries melted away when his hands cupped my face and his body pressed mine against the side of his car. He kissed me hard; like he was trying to _show_ me instead of tell me. And when he pulled away his smile was really all I needed.

"I love you," he whispered while his hands slipped into my hair. He kissed me again while the rest of the world seemed to disappear around us.

I would have been totally fine with that happening.


	18. Fixing

**Thanks to my girls and to all of you for reading. XOXO**

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down - Fixing

**Leah**

"Tell me again about how you had a huge crush on me in high school," I whispered, and felt Edward's quiet chuckle as he pulled me closer.

"You're such a jerk," he murmured.

"I just want to know you better," I teased.

"I thought you were beautiful and completely unattainable. That's really all there was to it. Then I left for school and-"

"You were glad you'd never see me again because your poor little heart couldn't take it?"

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"A little," I admitted with a grin.

"I knew I'd see you again, eventually, but I just got so focused on school that everything else kind of…disappeared."

"Hmm. I can't believe you just gave up." I snuggled closer to him and closed my eyes.

"Well, then Jake told me you got married."

"Not my wisest choice," I said softly.

"But you have Harry," he countered.

I nodded and pressed cheek to his chest, suddenly exhausted. We were lying fully-clothed on top of my bedspread after spending the past few hours after our _big_ exchange talking and occasionally making out like teenagers.

"I'm crazy about him, you know." Edward's voice was quiet in the dark of my room and I could feel the attitude of our conversation changing.

"He loves you, too."

"I know that we're taking risks here, Leah. But you need to know that I'm this in for the long run."

I pulled back and touched his face gently, willing my eyes to adjust so I could see him more clearly.

"I know, Edward." I kissed him, feeling his hand cup the back of my neck as he pulled me closer.

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now go to sleep, it's three in the morning and Harry's going to be up soon," he said with a laugh. I groaned and we moved: Edward on his back and my head on his chest.

After a moment, he spoke again. "Hey."

"Hi."

"I love you," he said quietly.

I smiled and wrapped an arm around his neck. "I love you," I whispered into the dark.

xXx

While the sound of my son babbling on early weekend mornings was usually something that made me smile, it wasn't the most welcome thing after staying up all night with Edward.

Edward groaned and pulled a pillow over his face as I climbed out of bed and stretched. I pulled off my clothes and slipped into sweats and a tank, laughing a little at the creases on my skin from my jeans and top. I cast a glance at Edward on his back, his t-shirt riding up and showing a sliver of his pale skin, and smiled as I walked out the door.

Harry grinned and bounced up and down when he saw me, his dark hair sticking up everywhere. I picked him up and kissed his cheek before carrying him back into my room. He crawled to Edward and promptly smacked him in the face.

"Ow!" He muttered and opened one eye to glare at my son. "Dude. Not cool."

Harry clapped his hands and giggled as Edward lifted him onto his chest.

"You want coffee?" I asked before leaning over and kissing him quickly.

"Yes, please."

I left them alone, then started coffee and cleaned up while I waited. I grabbed a bottle for Harry and carried everything into the room, only to be stopped in my tracks. Edward had fallen back to sleep and taken Harry with him, sprawled out on Edward's chest and mouthing the collar of Edward's shirt. Quietly, I set everything on my dresser and crawled into bed with them.

"Coffee?" Edward muttered as I rested my head next to his.

"Later," I replied.

He nodded and rested a hand on Harry's back, then turned his face to mine.

"I got the magic touch," he said with a sleepy grin.

"You just bored him to sleep." I closed my eyes and he laughed quietly.

"It's my superpower."

"Shh…"

"Sorry."

When we woke up again a few hours later it was slow and lazy. Edward was first, and then Harry. Eventually their playing woke me and we moved into the living room. I remade coffee and a bottle for Harry. We lounged around all day, until Edward finally had to leave and prepare for his week at work.

Letting him go was even harder now, but I knew it would only be that much better when we were together again. Of course, with him gone it only gave me more time to think about the next weekend…and how I was going to have to say goodbye to my son again.

It wasn't long after Edward left that Angela showed up, laden with presents for Harry and a bottle of wine for me.

"I thought you might need this after your weekend." She grinned and I nodded.

"Glasses are over the microwave," I told her as I settled on the floor with Harry and his presents. He opened them slowly, admiring the paper and bow more than the toys inside, much like he did at his party.

Angela handed me a glass as I opened a noisy little ball that looked like a hamster for Harry. He laughed as it rolled around and squeaked at him.

"You couldn't find something that made less noise?" I teased and she laughed.

"Sorry!"

"You're not, but that's okay."

"So, how was this weekend?"

I sighed and settled on the couch next to her. "It was fine. I mean, it was tough to let him go, but he was fine."

"Of course. He probably doesn't even realize what's going on."

"I don't know about that." I cast a quick glance at Harry. "He's pretty smart. I don't want him to get confused, though."

Angela smiled and sipped her wine. "Because of Edward?"

"He loves Edward," I said quietly.

"But?"

"I just hope, for my son's sake, that Sam has changed. That he genuinely wants to be in Harry's life. I'd hate to put him through all this for nothing."

"At least you'll have Edward if Sam doesn't come through."

"Yeah, but Edward isn't a fallback plan, Ang. Edward is…"

"The real deal, huh?"

"It's too early to say _that_," I laughed as I gazed down at my wine glass. "It's pretty real, though."

"Good. Good for you." Angela wrinkled her nose at what I assumed was the really stupid look on my face at the thought of Edward.

"Sorry," I half-heartedly apologized.

"Don't be sorry. He's dreamy."

"That he is." I grinned and picked up the noisy little hamster ball that had rolled to my foot. Harry shrieked and reached for it. "Hey!" I lifted him into my lap and scolded him gently. "Be nice!"

He protested again, so I set him down with the obnoxious little thing while Angela looked amused.

"He's getting quite the personality," she mused.

"Yeah, I think it's time for daycare, to be honest."

"Oh, really? My nieces never went. They're brats."

I laughed. "Well, I don't want people saying that about my kid!"

"I'm sure he'll be fine. And if he's at daycare you can work more!"

"Never mind," I groaned and she tossed a pillow at me. "Just kidding, jeez. Someone has to run that place."

"You're a jerk." Angela stuck her tongue out at me.

"Yeah, kind of."

"So, where is your dreamy boyfriend at?"

"He's at work," I told her with a sad sigh. "You actually just missed him. We've been here all day."

"Oh, really? Did he stay the night? Is _that_ why you're so happy? And why haven't I been told the details, damn!"

The blood flooded to my cheeks as I hid behind my wine glass. "No. I mean, _yes_, he stayed the night but _no,_ there are no details to tell."

"Oh, darn." She pouted.

"Trust me, I know."

"Then what's the holdup?" Angela slammed her free hand down on the back of the couch.

"I'm not really sure," I confessed.

"Has he tried anything? Did you shoot him down? Am I asking too much here?"

"We've…fooled around, but he always stops. I think he has issues with the fact that I'm still married. We've never really talked about it though."

"Oh, good God, he's a gentleman." She covered her face with her hand and I giggled.

"He really is," I said softly. "He's amazing."

"I'm happy you found him. Now, let's work on finding _me_ a man!"

xXx

**Edward**

"Okay, we're almost done here," I told my patient, a seven-year-old boy, as I placed a bandage over his freshly sewn stitches. "No more skateboarding down the front steps, got it?"

The boy nodded and the mother thanked me as I left the room, trying not to laugh. God only knew it would be something Harry would probably try sometime down the road.

"What are you laughing at?" Heidi asked as I handed her the file and fell into the rolling chair next to her.

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. "Kids. Kids are funny."

"Is _your_ little guy funny?" she asked, and I grinned, more at the thought of Harry being _mine_ than anything else.

"He's quite the character," I told her.

"I bet he loves you. You're really great with kids.'

"Yeah well, the feeling is mutual."

"What's happening with the ex-husband?"

I sighed and rubbed a hand over my face, not sure if I really wanted to talk about the whole situation. It wasn't that I didn't trust Heidi, because I did. She'd really become a great friend.

"Not a lot. They're doing some mediation and he gets weekly supervised visits with Harry now."

"That sucks." Heidi frowned. "I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "Maybe it will be good for Harry to know his…father." The word was hard to think, let alone speak. As much as I was trying to stay positive about everything, I was having a very difficult time thinking about Harry being off with Sam.

"Oh, Edward." She reached out and touched my hand softly.

"It's crazy, right? To think of myself as his…you know?"

Heidi shook her hand. "No, it's not crazy."

I nodded and stood, suddenly anxious to be alone. "Thanks, Heidi."

"Anytime, Dr. C."

Moment later, I found myself on the roof at the same spot I'd brought Leah months ago. As the sun went down over Seattle I found myself wishing I were with her. For a long time the only thing I loved was my job- the opportunity to help and heal the sick. Being with Leah had created a sort of new life in me. I still loved my job, but now I loved so much more.

On my way back downstairs, I sent Leah a quick text letting her know what time I was getting out of work and if it would be okay to stop by. She agreed, made a snide comment about a "booty call", and told me the key would be under the mat. I just laughed, told her I loved her, and pushed through the rest of my shift knowing I'd at least get to feel her body next to mine in a few hours.

Turns out it was more than a few hours, and I was tip-toeing into her bedroom a little after three in the morning.

"You're late," she whispered as I pressed my lips to her shoulder.

"Sorry," I murmured and she turned and pulled me closer. I kissed her gently while her arms around my neck and her body shifted under mine.

"I missed you."

"I wasn't gone for very long," I replied and settled over her, the comforter bunching up around us.

"Not the point," Leah yawned and ran her fingers through the hair at the back of my neck.

"I know. I missed you, too." I kissed her again, and she whimpered a little at the involuntary movement of my hips into hers.

"Edward…" she warned.

"Sorry," I said again, pressing my lips to her neck and pushing her arms up over her head.

"Don't tease me, baby. You know how much I want you."

I groaned quietly and pulled away, sitting up with my back to her.

"What's wrong?" Leah touched my shoulder softly and I turned to her.

"Nothing, sweetheart. It's just…_difficult_ to control myself around you like this."

Leah was quiet for a long moment, her face pressed to my shoulder.

"Then don't," she finally said.

"You know-"

"No, I really don't know why you do."

I turned to face her again, barely able to make her out in the darkness of the room.

"I don't want you to think that I'm…"

"You're not like him, Edward."

"But you're still _married_."

"Yeah, on paper. But that doesn't-" she started to argue, but I quickly stood up.

"It does matter. How am I any different than he is?" I asked quietly. I wanted her more than I could ever say, but something inside of me wouldn't let me go any further knowing she was technically still married.

When I didn't get an answer, I leaned down and kissed her head before I turned to leave. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? What are you- where are you going?" I heard her ask and then the sound of her footsteps behind me.

"I shouldn't have shown up her at three in the morning, Leah. It's totally disrespectful. I should have thought about you before I did that."

"Oh my God, Edward. Will you just listen to me for one minute?" She glared at me from the end of the hall with her hands on her hips while I tried very hard not to focus on her tank top and little polka-dotted panties. Not to mention those long legs and how they'd feel wrapped around my body.

I swallowed hard. "I'm listening."

"This isn't about sex," she started.

"It isn't?"

"No, you idiot." The hint of a smile crossed her face. "I love you, Edward. I want to be with you in _every_ way possible. Trust me, I wrestle with that every second we're together. The truth is that my marriage has been over for a long time, and you know that too."

I stepped to her cautiously and rested my hand on her cheek. "I don't want you to compromise anything for me."

"I wouldn't be," she said with a hand on my chest. "You have my heart, Edward. All of it. And you can walk out that door and come back when the sun's up but we'll still have that elephant in the room."

With a sigh I pressed my forehead to hers and then tipped her face to mine with both of my hands.

"Then let's get rid of the elephant."

Leah laughed loudly and pulled me to her. We fell against the wall, her body pressed to mine.

"Let's go," she whispered, tugging me down the hall back to her bedroom. We'd hardly made it inside her bedroom when that all too familiar sound came through the monitor.

"Don't move. Maybe if we don't move, he'll think we're asleep," I whispered, half-jokingly.

Leah sighed and pressed her face to my neck. "I'll be quick," she murmured.

"No, I'll go. I haven't seen him all day. You…you don't go anywhere, go it?"

"Okay."

I grudgingly left her alone and made my way to Harry's room to find him sitting up in his crib, crying quietly.

"What's wrong, little man?" I lifted him up and he quickly buried his face in my shoulder, body going slack and making him a warm little dead weight. Actually, speaking of warm- I pressed my lips to his forehead. "Leah?"

"Everything okay?" she stuck her head in the door quickly. I knew she wouldn't listen and stay put like I'd asked her.

"He's a little warm," I told her. "Can you bring me some Tylenol?"

She nodded and left, only to return with the medicine and a sippy-cup of water. Harry shuddered as we gave him the medicine and I tried not to laugh.

"I know, baby. It's not good," Leah said softly and smoothed his hair down. He sighed and laid his head on my shoulder again.

"Go back to bed," I said, settling into the rocking chair. I could see her frown in the light from Harry's nightlight. "I'll be there soon."

She nodded and kissed my head, then left us alone. I situated Harry in my arms so I could see him and smiled as he raised a little hand toward me. I rocked him while his eyes fluttered closed, and held him long after he'd fallen asleep, breathing in the smell of formula and soap and baby lotion that clung to him. It was crazy to think that a few months ago he was my patient and now we were…so much more. When my own eyes started to feel heavy, I gently laid him back in his crib and found my way back to Leah's bedroom.

I left my jeans on a pile by the bed and climbed in next to her. She moved as I settled in, throwing an arm and a leg around me. I slipped an arm under her and pressed my lips to her hair, knowing that while we had possibly come to an agreement on our _issue_, it could probably still be a while before we actually _did_ anything about it.


	19. Having

**Thanks to my girls, as always. Hope you enjoy! :) **

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down – Having

**Leah **

"Hey," I whispered and brushed Edward's hair from his forehead.

He slowly opened his eyes and rolled over to look at me. "G'morning," he muttered and reached up to touch my face.

I leaned down, smiling, and kissed him gently. "Mmmm, minty fresh," he said quietly and then he scrunched his nose up, unsuccessfully fighting off a yawn.

"I'm going to work," I told him.

"Where's Harry?"

"He's at Mrs. Cope's. His fever's gone," I explained.

Edward nodded and fell back against the pillows again. "I'll bring you lunch," he said as his eyes fluttered closed.

"See you soon." I pressed a kiss to his puckered lips before practically forcing myself out the door.

Work was slow, and when Edward showed up at lunchtime with sandwiches we sat right behind the front counter and ate.

"Did you stop and see Harry before you left?" I asked while smacking his hands away from my chips.

Edward chewed his lip for a moment before answering with a nod and a small smile.

"You're so predictable." I grinned as my heart fluttered a little bit.

"I wanted to make sure he was feeling okay."

"Uh huh."

"He's fine."

"I know," he admitted. "I just wanted to be sure."

"You're cute when you're overprotective." I leaned over and pinched his cheek, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my chair into his lap.

Edward smiled and pressed his lips to my neck. "I can't help it."

"Hey! Get a room!" Looking like the Cheshire Cat, Angela swung the door to the shop open.

I stood up while Edward started to clean up our lunch mess, the tips of his ears an adorable shade of pink. "We had one until you interrupted!" I teased.

Edward glared at me and I giggled quietly. "I'll leave you ladies alone," he grumbled and kissed my cheek.

Angela wiggled her fingers at him in a wave and I took the time to glare at _her_.

"Call me when you get a chance," I said as he leaned down to kiss me goodbye.

"I will," Edward said softly, and then whispered those three little words that made me break into the most ridiculous grin. "I love you."

"Me too," I replied, almost giddy.

Angela was perched on the counter making kissy faces when I went back in the store. I shoved her lightly and laughed when she toppled over, knocking a stack of books over in the process.

"Haters gonna hate," I muttered as I picked up the books.

My friend guffawed loudly while she restacked the books. "Yeah, I'm a little jealous."

I smirked. "Good."

"Ugh, get to work." She waved her hand dismissively at me, though the smile was still there.

"You first."

We continued like that for the rest of the day: trading snide comments in between stacking shelves and helping customers. When I left at five o'clock it was with a hopeful smile and a certain eagerness in my heart. I couldn't wait to pick up Harry, and of course, to see Edward again.

Part of that hope was crushed after I'd put Harry to bed, cleaned up the kitchen, and settled on the couch with a glass of wine. My phone vibrated on the coffee table and I answered quickly, but was greeted with the sound of Edward's dejected voice.

"What's wrong?" I asked before he could even muster a greeting.

"I'm not going to get out of here on time…" He trailed off and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was: less time for us to spend together.

"Just come by when you get out, then."

"Leah," he sighed, and last night's conversation ran through my head.

"I just want to see you, Edward. Don't argue with me."

"Okay, okay," Edward chuckled quietly. "I'll try to be quiet."

"As long as you don't wake up Harry. Otherwise you'll have to share me."

"I'll do my best, sweetheart."

"See you soon," I told him before ending the call. I went to bed shortly after that, not worried about when he would show up, just happy that he would.

It was a little after midnight when I finally heard the door and felt Edward slide into my bed. He stretched an arm out as I turned and settled my head on his shoulder. I breathed in the crisp smell of soap and laundry detergent, and wrapped my arm around him to run my fingers through his still damp hair.

Edward let out a shuddery breath and pressed his lips to my head, but he didn't speak.

"Rough night?" I asked quietly.

He didn't answer right away, but when he did it was a soft "Yes."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now."

"Okay."

It was right after I drifted off that he spoke again.

"I lost a patient tonight," Edward admitted quietly. He lifted a hand and rubbed it over his face, so I pressed myself closer to him. "He was just a kid, a sixteen-year-old. He wasn't wearing his seatbelt and…"

"I'm sure you did everything you could," I told him, and he nodded.

"It doesn't matter to his mother, though. I can just- I can still see her face."

"I'm sorry," I murmured and pressed my lips to his cheek.

He sighed and turned, wrapping both of his arms around me and kissing me gently. "I know it's going to happen and that I can't save everybody, but it doesn't make it any better, you know?"

I simply nodded, knowing he didn't really want an answer, and snuggled in closer.

**Edward **

My girlfriend was a clingy sleeper. Of course, that was only something I minded when I was trying to pry myself out of her arms to make breakfast the next morning. She also slept like the dead, which was fine.

"Oh, so me practically ripping your arm off to get out of be this morning doesn't wake you up, but the smell of bacon does?" I laughed a little while later when she stumbled into the kitchen.

"What can I say?" She grinned and kissed my cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough," I replied with a shrug. "Is Harry still sleeping?"

"Yeah, I'll give him a few more minutes so I can shower," she said as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Go ahead, I'll take care of it if he wakes up."

"You're just too good to be true," Leah laughed, and kissed me again. "Who did I blow in a past life to deserve you?"

"You're very fortunate," I told her, straight-faced, "I've been compared to a unicorn in the past."

She snorted and eyed me incredulously over her coffee mug. "A unicorn, Cullen? Do you sparkle and prance around in meadows with virgins?"

I gave her a mock-haughty look. "I'll have you know that a man like myself, who's straight, has a job, and willingly cooks breakfast, is considered a valuable commodity in some circles."

"A valuable commodity, huh? You better behave, then, or I'll sell you on eBay." Leah winked and pinched my ass, nabbing a slice of bacon as she headed to the shower.

As it turned out, Harry stayed asleep and didn't wake up until after Leah had left for work. It was a little strange and kind of fascinating to be with him alone. We ate and played until it was time for me to leave for work. I packed him up and he tried to run as I opened the door. Laughing, I scooped him up and turned to lock the door, only to find myself face-to-face with a very perplexed blond man.

"Who are you?" he asked as he eyed me and then Harry, who was content as he yanked on the collar of my shirt.

"I'm Edward." I held out my hand and he shook it, his eyebrows still furrowed in thought. "I'm Leah's boyfriend."

"Oh!" He seemed a little surprised. "Is Leah home? My wife wanted to invite her over for dinner."

"No, she's gone to work already. Hence the hallway chase." I nodded to Harry and he laughed.

"Yeah, he's quick. I've seen him in action with Mrs. Cope. I'm Peter, my wife and I live across the hall. Can you tell her to give Charlotte a call?"

"Sure thing," I said while trying to keep a tight grip on a squirming baby. Peter just smiled and bid me goodbye, so I got us settled in the car and dropped Harry off. Once I made it to work, I called Leah to let her know about Peter and took a few moments to tease her.

"So, I met your neighbor today," I started.

"Which one?"

"Peter. He seemed surprised to see me. I'm a little worried that I've become your dirty little secret."

"Shut up, I love you."

"All right, that's all I needed to hear. Call me later?"

"You're such a creep."

"I know. I love you."

"Goodbye, Edward."

I smiled as she hung up, then quickly checked in with Heidi and began my rounds. The night before had been rough, but I knew I had to keep it together today. It had been nice to go home to Leah knowing she wouldn't expect anything from me- being with her made everything else go away.

It was that thought that kept me going throughout the day, until the inevitable happened.

"I have to work late," Leah sighed. "Angela has a family emergency and we've got a late shipment coming in."

"I'm pretty sure the universe is working against us here, sweetheart," I laughed quietly.

"Maybe," she grumbled. "I need to ask you to do something…"

"Pick up Harry?"

"Yes, you unicorn, you. Do you think you can handle it?"

I laughed again. "Anything for you. I'll see if I can find someone to cover the end of my shift so he doesn't have to stay at Mrs. Cope's for too long."

"Thank you, Edward," she said softly. "I'll call you tonight."

A few hours later I was picking a grumpy Harry up from Mrs. Cope, who was apologizing for him not getting a nap in. He stubbornly clung to my leg and babbled cranky nonsense at me as I tried to make dinner, until I finally picked him up and finished everything one-armed.

"Not sure how your mom does this, kid," I muttered, nearly ready to throw in the towel. His returning smile was enough to earn my forgiveness and help me to remember _why_ Leah did it on her own.

**Leah**

It wasn't too late when I finally returned home, but Edward was already asleep, curled up in my bed with Harry next to him.

I tried to be quiet as I got ready for bed and all I could think about were Edward's words earlier: _The universe is working against us._

For so long I'd felt that way about my entire life, but I didn't feel that with Edward. _Everything_ with Edward was right, and if we needed to wait to be together then we would.

"There you are," he whispered as I slipped in on the other side of Harry.

"Here I am," I replied. "How was he?"

"Cranky," Edward chuckled and turned to face me. "He was just tired."

"Thank you again, Edward. I'm sorry I had to ask you to do that."

"Hush, you." He leaned over and pulled me into a kiss. "We had fun."

"I'll make it up to you."

"Oh, I'm counting on it."

We laughed and settled in to sleep, unaware that the rest of the week would prove to be just as busy as it started out. One night was spent with Peter and Charlotte, and the other at Rose and Emmett's. Between social outings and work, by the time we got home each night we were all exhausted and cranky with nothing but sleep on our minds.

So when Friday rolled around, I was looking forward to a quiet night at home, but was surprised when Edward picked me up from the store and told me we were going out.

"Where are we going?" I frowned as he led me down the street away from work.

"Out," he said with a shrug.

"C'mon, Edward. It's been a long week. Let's just go get Harry and go home," I sighed.

"We can't, I'm sorry." He smiled and kissed me. "Harry is at Bella's, I dropped him off earlier. She's not expecting us until later."

"So…it's just me and you? All night?"

"Yes!" Edward laughed and tugged my hand. "Let's go."

We ended up at The Bookstore back in a quiet little booth like before. Maybe it was the ambiance or the wine, or just the simple fact that Edward and I were _finally_ alone together, but everything seemed to fall into place in those few moments.

"Edward?" I said his name and his eyes shifted to mine, a small smile spreading across his face.

"Hm?"

"Why are we here when we could be naked in a bed?"

I'd never actually seen his jaw drop like that before. I'd have to make it happen again. "That is an excellent question. Waiter!"

Edward paid the tab and practically dragged me out of the bar. He caught me on the sidewalk, pulled me into his arms, and pressed his lips to mine eagerly.

I tore my mouth from his a few seconds later and pretended to swoon. "Take me home and make sweet, sweet love to me, my sparkly prancing unicorn," I whispered into his ear, enjoying the horrified look on his face.

"No, Leah. Just..._no_," he responded with a threatening raise of his eyebrow.

I out-and-out guffawed as I yanked him toward his car. "C'mon, manly man, let's go to your place and I'll stroke your...ego."

The drive went quickly and soon Edward was fumbling with the key to his apartment, and I tried not to laugh as he pulled me inside.

Edward closed the door behind us and pulled me to him slowly. My heart thudded loudly with each of his footsteps and almost stopped altogether when his hands rested on my hips. His head dipped slowly, lips brushing against the skin of my neck, and my eyes closed at the contact. He started to walk me backwards and suddenly everything else became blurry as my shirt was lifted over my head and my jeans were being unbuttoned. I returned the favor quickly and ran my shaking hands over the smooth planes of his chest.

As Edward kissed me I tried to step out of my jeans, but stumbled and brought us both to the floor somewhere inside Edward's room.

"Ow, Leah, get your elbow out of my stomach! I bruise easily!" Edward whined, and I laughed and kicked off my jeans, then helped him pull his own off. Everything else went quickly in a mess of hands, kisses, and quiet whimpers until we were skin to skin and past the point of no return.

His hands moved over my skin worshipfully, making my breath catch with each touch and my body tremble with anticipation. I pulled him closer, wrapping both arms around his neck and bringing his face to mine.

"No more waiting," I whispered, drawing him closer with my foot on the back of his thigh.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he laughed softly and slipped away to search through the pocket of his jeans. Edward returned quickly, settling himself over me and gently pressing his lips to mine.

I sighed as he teasingly parted my thighs, and then rested his forehead to mine. He rested a hand beside my head on the floor and kept his eyes locked with mine as he slowly pushed inside. Edward stilled so I ran my hands down his back, grabbing his ass and pulling him deeper as I rolled my own hips against his.

"Wait." He barely breathed the word, and I shook my head.

"I can't," I answered, reaching up and fisting one hand in his hair. He chuckled and it turned into a groan as he began to match the rhythm I'd tried to set. I clung to him as we moved together, my body pressed against the hardwood floor. Edward lifted my leg over his hip, thrusting deeper, and I moaned softly.

"Look at me, Leah," he whispered with his hand on my face. I did as he asked, touching his lips and lifting my head to kiss him, needing as much contact as I could get. I let my head fall back and pulled him closer, his entire body flush against mine. Edward threaded our hands together over my head as my body tightened and he buried his face in my neck, letting out a low groan that vibrated through his chest and into mine. I wrenched one hand from his grasp and gently pushed his shoulder back so I could see him. My hand rested on his chest and his heart pounded beneath my palm, matching the rhythm of my own.

I said his name softly and he met my gaze, all bright green eyes that seemed to shine in that moment. My legs wrapped around him, pulling him as close as I could, not knowing at which point I ended and he began anymore. A whimper fell from my lips while my body began to tremble. Edward placed a hand on my face, his eyes locked with mine as I fell over the edge. I cried out and held him closer, bringing him with me and reveling in his low moan and the feel of his lips on my skin.

My arms fell from around Edward and my body went slack. Edward laughed softly against my neck and rolled to the side. I rested my head on his shoulder and he pressed his lips to my forehead.

"Well, that was worth the wait," I said, my voice seemingly too loud in the quiet darkness of Edward's room.

He laughed again and held me closer. "Okay, you're forgiven for the sparkly-unicorn thing."

"I do hope we make it to a bed next time," I teased and kissed his cheek softly.

"What can I say? You literally knocked me off my feet."

"Edward…" I groaned, rolling my eyes.

"I like when you say my name like that," he whispered, and I felt myself blush.

"Then you should see if you can make me do it again."

"Is that a challenge?" He wiggled his eyebrows as he rolled and rested over me.

"Yes," I giggled, and pushed him away, lifting myself onto my feet and taking the extra few steps to the bed that we'd almost made it to.

"Challenge accepted, then."


	20. Demanding

**Thanks, as always, to my girls and to you. XOXO**

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down – Demanding

**Edward **

The next morning came too quickly, too bright for my liking. Leah was sprawled out next to me with an arm slung over her head, her hair spilled over her face. I leaned down and pressed my lips to her bare shoulder and she stirred, turning to me and smiling softly.

"Hi," she whispered thickly.

"Hey, beautiful," I returned, and slipped my arm under her head. She scooted toward me and let me wrap her up in my arms.

Leah closed her eyes and reached up to touch my face.

"What are you thinking about?" She ran her hands through my hair and buried her face in my neck.

"Mostly about how I just lived out every one of my high school fantasies," I teased and kissed the top of her head.

"Shut up," she muttered, brushing her lips along my throat and running her hands down my chest. Then she moved quickly, and I was on my back but she was reaching over and grabbing my phone off the nightstand.

"Nooooooo," I groaned, and took the phone from her.

"I just want to check on Harry! I've never left him alone all night!"

"I already sent Bella a text," I sighed, and set the phone back down.

"You're worse than me," Leah teased as we settled back into bed.

"He's fine. Slept all night, just woke up."

"Oh, so it's just _us_ he doesn't sleep for?" She chuckled and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Probably," I responded, letting my fingers travel up and down her bare back. "What time do we need to be in La Push by?"

"Jane will be at my mom's around one," she said quietly before turning her face to mine. "Can't we just skip it?"

"I don't think so, sweetheart."

Leah sighed. "Fine. We've got some time before we have to go…"

"Oh? What do you want to do until then?" I asked innocently.

"I can think of a few things."

A "few things" (plus a shower and some clean clothes) later we were at Bella's front door picking up Harry. She opened the door, greeting us with a wide smile and a happy baby in her arms. Harry reached for Leah immediately and I watched them together, feeling myself smile.

"How was your night?" Bella asked as we stepped inside.

"Oh, uh…it was- it was-" Leah stuttered, her cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink.

Bella grinned while my girlfriend glanced at me helplessly.

"Where's Willow?" I tried to change the subject.

"In her room. Go on and leave us to the girl talk." Bella waved her hand in my direction and it was my turn to blush. I turned quickly down the hall, hearing their quiet giggles as I did.

Willow was in the middle of her floor, surrounded by stuffed animals and dolls. She smiled up at me in greeting.

"Hey, buddy," I said as I sat down with her. "What are you doing in here?"

"Just playing. Well, I was playing with Harry but he doesn't really know how to play so Mommy took him to the living room."

"Yeah, he's still learning how to play like a big kid."

"He chewed on Barbie's head!" She giggled and held up a soggy doll. I took it and tried to dry it off on my shirt which only made her laugh more. Harry shrieked from the doorway, then toddled into the room like a tiny Godzilla into Willow's circle of toys.

We laughed while he knocked them down, falling with them and clapping.

"Are you ready?" Leah asked from Willow's bedroom door. I nodded, kissing Willow's head before lifting Harry up off the floor.

"Bye, Godzilla!" she called as we walked out, making Harry squeal in response. We thanked Bella and I ignored the goofy way she smiled at me until we got to the car.

"What did you tell her?" I asked after I'd strapped Harry in the car seat that was now a permanent stable in my car.

"Nothing." Leah shrugged, though I could see the corner of her mouth quirking up.

"You're not a very good liar, you know."

"I'm not lying!" she giggled, and covered her face with her hand.

I groaned. "Leah!"

Leah laughed again, louder, her head thrown back and her eyes shining. She was so beautiful.

"I like how you say my name like that," she whispered and took my hand, kissing it softly.

"Yeah, yeah." I rolled my eyes but squeezed her hand before resting it on the side of her seat. Harry babbled in the backseat until he finally fell asleep just before we pulled into Sue's driveway.

"Great," Leah muttered as we unloaded the car. "He's going to be cranky."

"Let Sam deal with it," I chuckled. She tossed me a wry smile and led me inside the house, calling quietly for her mother.

I took Harry to Leah's old bedroom, hoping he would finish his nap. However, the thought of him being cranky for Sam kind of made me smile.

"He's still out," I told Leah once I'd found her in the kitchen. She looked up from the little slip of paper in her hands with a frown. "What's up?"

"Mom's not here. She's out to lunch with a friend. And she signed her name with a little heart next to it," Leah explained.

"So?"

"Have you met my mother? She doesn't do things with…_hearts_."

With a laugh, I took the note from her hands and pulled her against me.

"Maybe she has a secret boyfriend?" I pressed a kiss under her ear and felt her shiver.

"Are you trying to distract me?"

"Yes."

"Okay." She nodded and leaned up to kiss me, but we were interrupted by a knock at the front door.

"It's an epidemic. _Coitus interruptus_," I whispered against her lips. Leah laughed and pushed me away.

"It's probably just Jane," Leah called as I watched her walk away.

It wasn't Jane- it was Sam _and_ his girlfriend. The week had been so busy that Leah and I hadn't had time to talk about what went on the previous weekend. I knew that Emily was Leah's cousin, but I don't think even she knew how long they'd been seeing each other.

Leah led them into the kitchen, her face impassive. I could tell by the quirk of her eyebrow that she was annoyed.

"Jane should be here soon," she told me stiffly. I rested my hand on her shoulder and squeezed softly, feeling her relax a little at my touch.

"I'll get Harry." I left the three of them alone in the kitchen, knowing that made me a coward, unable to look either one of them in the face. Harry was sitting up in the middle of the bed, smiling at me with bleary eyes. "Hey, buddy." I lifted him up and he immediately rested his head on my shoulder, chubby fists clutching my shirt. The three people in the kitchen were standing around awkwardly, so Leah quickly ushered us to the front door. Jane pulled up just as we opened the door and stepped onto the front porch. As soon as she was out of the car Sam turned to me, hands reaching for Harry. I resisted the urge to hold tighter, though I didn't really need to try- Harry's grip on me was tight enough. He whined and turned his face into my shoulder while he clung to me.

"Come on, come with Daddy," Sam said. I pried Harry's hand off my shirt, my heart breaking at the look in his eyes. I felt like I was betraying him.

I could hear him crying and watched Sam try to soothe him while Leah followed them to the car. Harry eventually calmed down long enough to be buckled in, though Leah stayed in the driveway until both cars had left. When she returned to me her eyes were filled with tears.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, holding her closer. She sniffled loudly and rested her chin on my shoulder.

"It's not your fault," she whispered.

"That doesn't mean that I don't wish I could make it all go away."

"I just hate to see him upset. And I hate to see you upset. And _I _hate to be upset." She flung her arms around me and held me tightly.

"I'm not upset, sweetheart," I lied.

"You are." Leah touched my face softly and leaned up to kiss me. I pressed my forehead against hers.

"I love you. I love Harry. I just want…"

"I know. Trust me, I know." She sighed and pressed her lips to my cheek. As she did, a little bit of my fear melted away. Often I wondered if maybe I were in too deep, if maybe she didn't want the same things. But when she held me like that and said the things she did…I knew we wanted the same thing: a life together.

"I know that Sam's his father. I know he's going to be in his life-"

"This is all my fault," Leah said softly. "I shouldn't have run. I should have done it the right way."

"Nothing is your fault, Leah. You did what you thought was right." I took her face in my hands and forced her to look at me. Leah searched my face for a long moment before she closed her eyes and fell forward against me.

"You're too good to me."

"Well, that's probably not true," I laughed. "My parents would like to see you, if you're up for a drive."

"That sounds nice." She smiled up at me and held out her hand. We locked up the house and I let her lead me back to the car.

We spent the afternoon with my parents, having lunch and talking about work and Harry. By the time we left I could tell that Leah felt better about everything, though I knew that we still had a long road ahead of us…especially if Sam were going to be in the picture.

"Do you want me to ask Emmett the name of the daycare or not?" I asked as we stepped back into her mother's house.

"Yeah, I think it's time- oh my _God! _Mom?!" she cried after we'd stepped into the living room.

"Charlie?" I questioned, trying to take in the sight before us. Sue and Charlie straightened themselves up off the couch, both of their faces bright red as they attempted to straighten their clothes.

"Is this your _lunch date?"_ Leah stuck her hands on her hips and glared at her mother who cowered like a caught teenager.

"Um, well…"

"Oh, my eyes! I'll never be able to get this out of my head," she groaned from beside me.

I laughed loudly, and Charlie joined me.

"This isn't _funny,"_ Leah hissed and elbowed me roughly.

"You just caught your mom making out with the chief of police, it's kind of funny."

"It's not what it looks like," Charlie grumbled as he stood up. He greeted me with a handshake and Leah eyed him suspiciously.

"Oh, really?" Leah asked sarcastically.

"We've been seeing each other for quite a while, actually," Sue said, joining Charlie in front of us.

"And you didn't tell me?" Leah cried, sticking her hands on her hips indignantly.

"You've been a little distracted lately, honey."

"_Mom_."

"Why don't we go, uh…somewhere else, Edward?" Charlie nodded toward the kitchen and we quickly slipped away from the women. He handed me a beer and leaned against the counter.

"So…" I started.

"Yep." He nodded.

"Uh-"

"How are your parents?" Charlie asked, though I knew he had just had dinner with them earlier in the week. That made me wonder if my parents had known Charlie and Sue were seeing each other all along and didn't mention it to us.

"They're great. We just spent the day with them."

"Good."

"Has this been going on very long?" I gestured toward the living room and he shrugged.

"Oh, about a year or so."

"_A year?!"_ Leah interrupted whatever I was thinking, and I could see Sue sigh from behind her.

_Sorry_, Charlie mouthed to her but she just smiled and shook her head. She placed her hands on Leah's shoulders and kissed her head.

Leah stepped away from her mother and to me, stealing the beer in my hand and taking a long slug. I laughed and slipped my arm around her waist. "Leah, sweetie, I think your mother is growing up."

"I'm not angry or anything. I just like to be told things. I mean, would it be so- a freaking _year-"_ Her muttered tirade was cut off by the slamming of a car door, so the four of us made our way outside. Sam and Jane were there, but there was no sign of Emily.

**Leah **

Edward and I made our way to where Sam and Jane were just as Sam was pulling Harry out of the backseat. He was smiling, which did strange things to my heart. I wanted him to be happy- I wanted this to work. Of course, selfishly, I _didn't_ want him to be happy to spend time with his father.

"Hey, big guy," I greeted my little boy with a loud kiss when Sam handed him off to me. Sam smiled down at him and I could feel Edward's hand at the small of my back.

"He did great," Jane said, adjusting her glasses and looking between the two of us. "See you next week!" She walked away and Sam turned serious.

"Can we talk?" He looked from me to Edward, who nodded and took Harry from me. I watched them walk away, noticing the way Harry wrapped his arms around Edward's neck and rested his chin on Edward's shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"What's up?" I asked, turning back to him and not even trying to hide the smile on my face.

"Harry seems to really like your boyfriend."

"Edward," I interrupted.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Right. I don't like that this guy is spending so much time with my kid."

"Well, you're nothing if not subtle," I said dryly. "Besides, I don't like the fact that _my son _has to spend weekends with my cousin, who obviously has no problem seducing married men."

Sam rolled his eyes, but continued, "I'm just saying, I don't want him to get confused. What if it doesn't work out with this guy?"

"Aw, it's so nice that you're worried about my relationship, Sam," I said, my voice practically holding up a neon sign that said _SARCASM_.

"I'm worried about my son, Leah. If he's going to be surrounded by strange men-"

"Strange men? _Strange men?!_ Stop. Stop right there." I held up my hand, suddenly feeling murderous. "Edward is around more than you _ever_ were which is _why_ Harry responds to him the way he does. You're the one with the shitty track record here. So, if this idiotic idea you have has anything to do with Emily then you should do the smart thing and walk away, Sam. Right now."

"This isn't the end, you know."

"Oh, it is. Goodbye, Sam."

I heard him get in his car as I walked away; the tires squealed once he hit the road, and I flinched at the sound. With a sigh, I headed inside, knowing in my heart that Sam was wrong. Edward was in it for the long run, he'd said it himself. And, even more than that- I was in it for the long run, too.


	21. Working

**Merry Christmas Eve Eve! Hope you're all having a lovely holiday. Thanks for sticking around and eternal thanks to my girls for working whilst on vacation. **

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down - Working

**Edward**

"I've got some things to do at my place and then my brother wants to hang out, okay?" I told Leah once we got back to her apartment.

"Okay," she pouted, but a smile played on her lips. "We'll miss you." She jiggled Harry in her arms and he gurgled happily.

"Me too. I'll call you later." I kissed her and pressed a kiss to Harry's head before leaving them standing in the doorway. Leaving never got easier, especially after the night Leah and I had spent together. Not to mention the fact that Sam had said something to upset her- something she hadn't told me. I didn't pry, though; she would let me know what was bothering her when she was ready.

I did what I could around my apartment before I was supposed to have drinks with Emmett. It had been a couple of weeks since I'd even slept at my own place, let alone cleaned or done laundry, both of which I hated to do. Most of the time I didn't even think twice about going to Leah's. It had become second nature to me to go to her place after I got off work. There was nowhere else I'd rather be than with her and Harry, because wherever they were was home.

"There you are, you pansy," my brother greeted me a little while later outside the divey little sports bar we liked to go to.

"You're such as asshole." I rolled my eyes and punched him in the shoulder.

"It's part of my charm, brother dear." Emmett grinned and led me inside to a booth. We ordered drinks and talked about work. Emmett was a science teacher and high school football coach, and was getting his team ready for summer practices to start.

"So, are they going to be any good this year?" I asked, trying to hide my grin. Emmett was great, but the players…well, they needed work.

"God, probably not," he sighed, and rested his chin in his hand. "I mean, they're a great bunch of kids but…"

"Hey, as long as they have fun, right?"

"Sure thing, _Dad_. Jeez, you sound more like Carlisle every damn day," he joked lightly, though we both knew the weight behind his words. Being like our dad was something both Emmett and I strived to do.

I laughed and sipped my beer. "Speaking of dads, Harry saw his today."

"Sorry, bro." Emmett frowned and looked down at the table. "You know, I never thought I'd see you like that."

"Like what?"

"I don't know…a family man." My brother shrugged. "You've always been so focused on school and work."

"Well, I didn't think _you'd_ make it to see twenty-one," I said sarcastically.

"Fuck, man, me either," he laughed. "It's nice though. You and Leah are good together. Really, really good."

"Yeah…I just hate that Harry has to be put in the middle of all this."

"Of course you do. You love him; you don't want to see him hurt. It's what any good father feels."

"But his real _father_ is an asshole," I muttered.

"Yeah, and so was yours. But kids have a way of fixing those kinds of things, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Think about it, Ed. That kid _claimed_ you. You're his- anybody can see that. I'm betting Leah's ex can see it, too."

I chewed my lip while I thought about Emmett's words. Harry _had_ claimed me in his own way and, in that same way, so had Leah.

"You're getting all misty-eyed, are your hormones acting up? Gonna start your period soon?" Emmett teased.

"Fuck you, I've seen you cry more times than I'd like." I tossed a wadded-up napkin at him and he batted it away.

"Hey, I'm a sensitive man," he defended himself. "I'm not afraid to shed a tear or two."

"Or sob like a little bitch?"

Emmett smirked. "Yeah, yeah. You'll get it one day."

"I'm thinking I already do."

xXx

The apartment was dark when I quietly stepped in and closed the door behind me. I'd called Leah during one of Emmett's trips to the bathroom (for such a big guy, he had the bladder of an ant) and asked if it were too late to come over.

She'd laughed and basically threatened special parts of my body if I didn't show up. Of course, I wasn't expecting to find her crying in the dark when I arrived.

"Hey, what the hell is going on?" I fell onto the couch with her and pulled her into my arms.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want you to see me like this," she sniffled, and wiped her eyes.

"Are you okay? Is it Harry? Is it me?"

"No, God no. I'm sorry!" she apologized again. I wrapped my arms tighter around her and stroked her hair.

"What's got you so upset?"

"I was just thinking about what Sam had said earlier."

"Which was…?"

"He didn't like how close you and Harry were, or the idea of his son dealing with a bunch of strange men." She frowned as she spoke.

"Well, unless you sneak them in when I'm at work…" I trailed off, trying to make her smile. She slapped my arm. "Ow," I muttered.

"I worry enough about how attached Harry is to you, you know?"

"I'm pretty attached to him, too." I smiled, and then gently brushed her tears away. "And you."

"I know, Edward. I just don't have the best track record and I can't imagine Harry going through another-"

"Then it's a good thing I'm madly in love with you, isn't it?" I interrupted her. Her eyes widened briefly before she nodded, very slowly. "We talked about this before, Leah. Don't let him make you feel this way, don't give him what he wants."

"I know," she breathed out the words and pressed her forehead to mine. "I don't know why I let him get to me."

I wanted to say: _Me either, you stupid, beautiful woman, _but I kept that to myself and kissed her instead. It was slow, building with each stroke of her tongue against mine. More intense with each inch of her skin my fingertips touched. We shifted on the couch, until her back was pressed to the cool leather and my shirt was being pulled over my head. Leah's legs shifted beneath me, drawing me closer while her nails dug into my shoulders.

I pressed my lips to her neck, enjoying the way her body reacted underneath mine. The way her hands ran down my chest and unbuttoned my jeans, how she scraped her teeth across my shoulder and whispered my name. She pushed my jeans down quickly and I did the same to her little pajama shorts, and then pulled her into my lap. Leah sighed, snaking her hands into my hair and kissing me eagerly. I lifted her shirt over her head, reveling in her beauty and running my hands over her smooth, caramel-colored skin.

She laughed quietly as my fingers trailed down her sides, and I tucked that memory away for later.

"Ticklish?" I whispered to her collarbone.

"A little," she replied with a shy smile. "Do you have…"

"Oh, yeah." I reached down into my jeans and pulled out a strip of condoms, feeling incredibly cheesy.

Leah snorted and took them from me. "You're such a Boy Scout," she teased as she ripped one off with her teeth and tossed the rest on the ground.

"Better than a unicorn." I grinned while her hands moved between us and she lifted herself closer to me.

"You said I was forgiven for that," her voice was strained as she lowered herself down.

"You are now," I murmured as I slid my hands up her back and grasped her shoulders.

"_Fuck_," she whispered, pressing her forehead to mine and resting her hands on my shoulders. I smiled, enjoying the way she moved over me. She was beautiful and completely in control of me. I let her lead, listening to her heavy breaths and quiet whispers. I kissed and touched until she was shaking in my arms and we were both falling over the edge.

Leah buried her face in my neck as her breathing slowed. I let my hands roam her skin until my arms were wrapped tightly around her.

"You've really got a knack for distracting me, you know?" she said quietly. Her chest pressed to mine and I kissed her hair.

"I hope to keep doing it, too," I whispered back. Leah laughed, the movement of her body making things happen to mine.

"Then we should probably continue this somewhere more comfortable. And do it quickly before-"

"Don't. Don't say it." I covered her mouth with my hand and she licked my palm.

"You better hurry." She grinned, slipping off my lap and tip-toeing down the hall. I gathered our clothes and followed her…quickly.

**Leah **

"Are you sure you want to do this today?" Rosalie asked with a sympathetic smile the next Monday.

"Might as well," I sighed, picking up my coffee cup and casting a glance at where Harry and Michael were playing on the floor. Rose had agreed to show me Michael's daycare center to see if I thought it would be the right place for Harry, too. We were both excited about the prospect of the boys being in school together.

"You'll really like the place, they're great," she reassured me.

I was about to reply when Edward stumbled into the living room in nothing but his boxers. He scratched his head and glanced at me with sleepy eyes. It took a moment before he realized that Rose was sitting on the couch with me and he promptly turned on his heel and headed back to my bedroom.

"Oops," I laughed, but she shook her head.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before," Rose said with a wave of her hand.

"Oh, really?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, he did live with us for a while," she giggled. "I may have walked in on him in the shower…twice."

"It was three times, and I'm pretty sure the last two weren't accidents," Edward grumbled after reentering the living room, fully dressed, and settling on the floor with the boys.

She winked."Don't tell your brother."

"Were you guys _that_ kind of family?" I asked, enjoying the way Edward's cheeks turned bright red. "You know, 'if you can't keep it in your pants, keep it in your genes'?"

Edward snorted. "Filthy, filthy women, boys," he muttered to Michael and Harry with a shake of his head. "Don't ever let girls convince you that they're the ones with delicate sensibilities."

"May as well get them used to it early." Rose sipped her coffee and waggled her eyebrows. "Are you ready yet? Time to rip the band-aid off, babe."

"What band-aid?" Edward asked. He fell back onto the rug and lifted a happily shrieking Harry into the air over him, lifting him up and down and blowing raspberries on his cheek each time.

"I'm taking Leah to check out Michael's daycare," Rose explained. Edward sat up and looked from Rose to me with a frown.

Rose laughed loudly. "Leah had the same expression when I showed up," she giggled.

"Well, I remember _someone_ crying on Michael's first day of daycare, so no teasing." Edward sat up and set Harry down.

"Yeah, Emmett's never going to live that down, is he?"

Edward chuckled and shook his head before he kissed both of the boys' heads and stood up.

"You guys have fun. I've got to get ready for work." Edward tried to muss Rose's perfect hair, but she batted his hand away. I excused myself after he left, made him a cup of coffee, and took it to him in my bedroom.

"Sorry, I forgot to mention she was coming over," I apologized, and handed him the cup.

"No worries, sweetheart." Edward wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed my hair. "I'm glad you have Rose to help you."

"Yeah, even if she's seen all the goods." I raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned.

"Just once. Accidentally," he explained before kissing me gently.

"Mmhm," I muttered against his lips. _"Special_ family."

"Trust me, beautiful."

"I do, baby," I answered with a laugh.

"Don't think too much today, got it?" He brushed my hair from my face and gazed down at me. I sighed and pressed my lips to his cheek.

"I won't."

He gave me a dubious look that caused me to laugh.

"Okay, I'll try not to."

"That's my girl." He smacked my ass, kissed my forehead, and stepped away. "Love you, call me later."

I smiled, shaking my head and making my way back to the living room where Rose was on the floor with the boys making them pick up the toys they had scattered across the floor.

"Train 'em early, that's what I always say," she said with a grin.

I just laughed and scooped my son up, ready to take a new step in our lives.

xXx

"So, you like it?" Rose asked after we'd sat down for lunch at a little café down the street from Michael's daycare.

I sighed and rubbed my hand over Harry's messy hair. "I did."

"It's hard, isn't it?" She smiled warmly, and I nodded.

"It'll be good for him," I told her. "And me."

"Plus, he'll get to play with Michael. They'll be in the same age group," she explained. "That will be great since they'll be spending so much time together growing up."

"What do you mean?" I asked suspiciously. She had a gleam in her bright blue eyes that made me incredibly nervous.

"Oh, I was just really close with all my cousins. I hope the boys will be close, too."

"Cousins?" I coughed and reached for my water.

"Come _on_, Leah. You know it's going to happen. Do you see the way Edward looks at you? I mean, _really_."

I laughed and lifted Harry from his stroller.

"Yeah, I see it. I feel it. I _live_ it. We both do."

"He needs someone like you."

"Well, I need someone like him, so it all works out, doesn't it?"


	22. Moving

**XOXO**

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down - Moving

**Leah **

"Where the hell _is_ he?" I grumbled, and glanced over at Edward, who was too busy making nomming noises as he pretended to eat Harry's hands to even listen.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sure he's just running late. Traffic or something," he said absentmindedly, before blowing a loud raspberry against my son's cheek. Harry squealed and wrapped his arms around Edward's head and I forced a smile.

"Traffic? In La Push?"

"Relax, sweetheart." Edward stood and kissed my head, holding Harry tight in his arms. "Come outside with us, I'm sure he'll show up."

I sighed and agreed, but was hardly out the door of my mother's house before the phone rang with a number I didn't recognize.

"Hello?" I answered apprehensively.

"Leah? Hi, it's Jane. I'm sorry to call on such short notice, but Sam called me earlier and asked me to contact you."

"Um…okay? Is everything all right?"

"Oh, yes. Everything is fine. He just isn't going to make it to your meeting today and wanted to reschedule for next week," she explained and I felt my face heat with anger.

"And he couldn't tell me this himself? _Before_ I took the time to drive all the way out here?" I asked through clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry, Leah," Jane apologized. "He just called me as well; I was just getting ready to leave my office."

"No, it isn't your fault. Thank you for calling me. I'll see you next week," I said in a slightly more polite tone that I had before. We said goodbye and hung up, then I made my way outside.

Harry was walking around, picking up random things and handing them to Edward. I laughed and joined them, swinging Harry up into my arms and kissing his cheek.

"What's up?"

"He isn't coming," I told him with a frown. "Jane just called."

"He couldn't call you himself?"

"That's what I said!" I cried.

He shrugged. "Oh well, we're here now. Might as well make the most of it." I nodded in agreement.

"What did you have in mind?"

"My parents are expecting us for lunch, so Mom will get to fawn over Harry for a while. She'll like that." He grinned. "Maybe she'll even let us slip away for a while. Go for a drive…"

"Let you seduce me in the back of the car?"

"Hey, remember when I pull over to a wooded area that you were the one that thought of it, okay?"

I laughed and pinched his cheek. "Will do, baby."

**Edward**

"Don't worry, ladies. The men will clean everything up. You just take it easy, okay?" My dad teased after lifting himself out of his chair at the head of the table. He kissed my mom's head and picked up her plate, carrying it into the kitchen and casting a glance at me.

"Oh, I guess that's my cue." I winked at Leah and cleaned off the rest of the table. She nodded, sipping from her wine glass and waving me out of the room. I heard Mom giggle as I made my way to the kitchen, and Dad grinned from the sink.

"I thought we could have some _guy time_, you know. Just the two of us."

"While washing dishes? C'mon, Dad. At least take me to play golf or something," I joked.

He laughed and patted my shoulder. "Your mother only lets me play golf once a month, son."

"_Lets you_?"

"Yes, she lets me. Or, I let her think that. Truth is, I'm horrible at golf," he said in an exaggerated whisper.

"That's no secret, Dad."

He sighed sadly and I laughed, clapping him on the back and turning to the sink.

"You never played when we were kids," I stated.

"No. My time with you kids and your mom was how I escaped," he explained.

"I can understand that," I muttered.

"Do you get enough time with them?" Dad asked.

I thought for a moment before nodding. "I do. It's tough, but we make it work."

"Good. I hope you realize what a big responsibility you have to them, Edward," he said quietly.

"I do," I told him. "Trust me, I do."

"Good," he repeated. Silence filled the kitchen and I could hear my mom and Leah laughing from the dining room. "She brings out something in you, something I haven't seen from you in a long time."

"What's that?" I asked quietly.

"Your life, Edward. You got so absorbed in school I was beginning to think we weren't going to see it again," he replied with a quiet chuckle.

"Yeah, I was starting to think that, too," I admitted.

"Hold on to it, son."

I nodded in a silent promise to not let her go and he smiled.

"Now, talk to me about Harry. I want to know everything about my future grandson."

My face broke out into a smile that matched his, because_ of course_ he would want to hear about Harry. He had been in my shoes before, after all.

xXx

"Do you want to make dinner?" Leah asked as she curled up next to me on the couch. We'd just gotten back from my parents' house and put Harry to bed for the night.

"Why don't we just order something?" I answered, pulling her knees into my lap and turning to her.

"Whatever you want." She closed her eyes and rested her head on my shoulder.

I leaned forward and kissed the side of her mouth. She smiled and opened one eye slowly.

"I want you," I whispered faux-seductively. "But I want Chinese more right now."

"I'm not going to argue with that," she laughed, and pulled me closer, until she was pressed against the couch and I could feel every inch of her body against mine.

I kissed her again, our lips moving lazily as her hips shifted into mine.

"I love you, Edward," she said softly once I pulled away.

"I love you, sweetheart," I replied against the skin of her neck.

She shivered and ran her hands down my back before cupping my face and drawing me closer.

"I think you should move in." The words came out quickly and her eyes clenched shut.

Slowly, I pulled away and sat up, bringing her with me.

"Move in, huh?"

"You're always here anyways, you know? And we love having you here. I mean, I do. Harry's…well, he's a baby so it's whatever. Point is, we're both sad when you're not here and it just makes sense, okay?"

"Okay," I laughed.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes." I nodded.

"We're really doing this." She looked at me with wide, shining eyes and grinned.

"Looks like it. I mean, not right now. Right now I'd like to order some General Tso's chicken, and get you naked while we wait, since you wouldn't let me seduce you in the woods."

"Well, you don't have to tell me twice."


	23. Ending

**Hope you all had a lovely Christmas!**

**Two more chapters after this. **

**Thank you for reading! **

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down – Ending

**Leah **

"Again, Sam? I don't get it- that's the third weekend in a row!" I cried, and slammed the spoon I'd been stirring spaghetti sauce with down on the counter. Red sauce decorated my shirt and the wall behind the stove.

"I can't help it, Leah. Things just come up, you know," he said, sounding exasperated, and I rolled my eyes.

"You're the one who wanted the visits, Sam. You should be at least _trying_ to see your son."

"Look, I've got this thing going on with Emily and I can't just-"

"Wait. You're not spending time with your son because you have plans with your _girlfriend_? I thought…never mind. I won't let you put him through this again." I hung up before he could say anything else, too furious to even think about listening.

I was muttering under my breath when Willow interrupted my tirade.

"Leah? Uncle Edward said if dinner's not ready soon he's going to start eating children. I don't think he means it but…" She bit her lip and trailed off while I tried not to laugh.

"You tell him to hold his horses; no kids will be eaten tonight, okay?"

She giggled and ran back to living room so I could finish dinner. It was Friday, but Bella had asked us to keep Willow so she could go out. She didn't elaborate on the subject, though Edward and I privately speculated who she would be going out with.

Whether it was a date or with friends, we were happy for her.

"No eating of children…got it," I heard Edward's voice behind me and then his arms around my waist. He'd moved most of his things in over the past week, though nothing had really changed. Well, except that I had a little less room in my closet and I kept finding his socks all over the place. Other than that we were pretty happy.

"Sorry to ruin your fun," I teased, turning to him and wrapping my arms around his neck. He laughed, his hand moving to my face. His thumbs brushed over my cheek as he smiled.

"You've got sauce all over you," he informed me.

I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder. "I had an incident with a spoon."

"Did it cause you any harm?"

"Not quite." I smiled ruefully against his shirt. "Sam cancelled again."

"Ah. I see."

"It breaks my heart, Edward. He wasn't around when we were married and I thought…I really thought he was going to try for Harry's sake."

Edward's hands ran up and down my arms trying to soothe me, so I kissed his cheek in thanks.

"We'll figure it out," he said before he pulled away. "Now, really, I'm starving."

"Okay, okay." I pushed him out of the kitchen with plates and silverware so we could have dinner.

Willow and Harry kept us entertained through dinner. Willow with stories, and Harry more with the fact that he smeared spaghetti all over his face.

"He sure is messy," Willow observed, after Edward had carried him away for a bath and she and I had settled on the couch.

"He definitely is," I laughed and threw a blanket over her little body. "Do you want to watch a movie? Uncle Edward got some of your favorites." I held some DVDs to her and she shook her head.

"Do you have any pictures of my daddy?" she asked quietly. My breath caught in my throat as I nodded.

"I sure do, baby," I told her. I blinked back my tears and took my photo albums off the shelf. She grinned excitedly and I curled up on the couch next to her, trying to smile back.

Willow flipped through the pages of each book in absolute awe. Jacob and I had known each other since we were kids, so some of the pictures were pretty old. She laughed at some of the pictures, and with others, her little finger ran over Jake's face. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and held her close.

"There's you and Uncle Edward!" she cried, and I smiled at the picture of the infamous bonfire. Jake and Bella were in the middle and Edward and I flanked their sides. Plastic cups were in our hands and our cheeks were flushed, but our smiles were big and real.

"Were you friends?" She looked up at me with curious brown eyes that were so unmistakably Jake that tears stung my eyes.

"Your Daddy was my very best friend," I whispered, and kissed her head. She closed the book and snuggled closer to me. My heart ached for her having to grow up without Jake. It was suddenly so unfair for me to have spent so much time with him and her so little.

"Can we watch a movie?"

"Yeah," I told her. I wiped my tears as I put a movie in, and when Edward put Harry to bed and joined us, she curled up against his side. He reached over and laced his fingers with mine.

It wasn't too much later that Bella showed up, eyes shining but tight-lipped about her night. She promised she'd tell us later and whisked her daughter out the door. Edward and I fell back onto the couch, legs tangled together and heads close.

"I used to wonder why you and Bella weren't close after Jake died," Edward said quietly. "I kind of know now."

"It was so hard. She just…she's just like him, Edward. She looks like him and thinks like him," I explained quietly.

"I know." He smiled. "It's crazy, isn't it?"

"It's wonderful." I nodded and rested my head on the back of the couch. "I hate that he was taken away, but mostly that he was taken from her. He was so amazing and I feel like I have to force Sam to spend time with his son. It isn't fair."

"That's life, sweetheart," Edward chuckled and kissed my palm lightly. "Seeing her makes me miss him a little bit less, if that makes sense."

"It does." I nodded and pulled him closer, cuddling up to him, grateful that he didn't have to go anywhere for the night and that when he did he would come home to me.

xXx

"No, it's fine," I sighed lightly into the phone, and Edward muttered something that sounded like an apology. "Edward, I know you have to work. It's really okay."

"I'll see you tonight then, okay? Probably about eleven."

"You live here now, remember? You don't have to announce that you're coming over," I laughed.

"I just want you to be ready, beautiful," he replied seductively.

"Oh, okay then."

"Have a good night," he said before he hung up, leaving me a little flustered.

"Edward is a jerk, Harry," I said to my son, who lit up at the mention of Edward. I shook my head but smiled, because he was just as smitten as I was.

As I readied myself to make dinner, a knock on the door sidelined me, and then turned my entire night upside down.

"Sam? What are you doing here?" I asked, instinctively closing the door behind me.

"We need to talk. Can I come in?" he asked quietly. With a deep breath, I nodded and led him in. In the living room Harry smiled up at him, but Sam made no movement toward our son.

"Is everything okay?" I frowned. There was no reason for him to be at my home, and the fact that he didn't acknowledge his son had suddenly pissed me off.

"I wanted to give you these personally," he said handing me an envelope that he'd pulled from his back pocket.

"What is it?"

"The divorce papers. I signed them."

"But…" I trailed off as I flipped through the pages. "This is the first draft. This gives me full custody of Harry."

"I know. I had my lawyer draw these up, too." He handed me another envelope and my hand shook as I opened the paper.

"Termination of parental rights? What is this? Are you _serious?"_ My voice was louder than I wanted it to be, but I was having a hard time believing my eyes.

"It's what you want, isn't it?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I just- I don't understand!"

"This…" he waved his hand as if to mean _everything_, "wasn't what I wanted, Leah. After Jacob died I realized that. We were more of a convenience relationship, don't you think?"

"Ten years together was just a convenience for you?" I asked with eyes narrowed.

"I guess that's not the right word." He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "I've found what I want now, Leah."

"You mean you fucked around with what you wanted while we were married." I spat the words and his shrug told me I was right.

"Emily and I are happy. We're ready to start a life and a family together," he said simply. As if he didn't already _have_ a family.

I nodded my head slowly before setting the papers down on the coffee table and stalking toward the door.

"You can go now." I opened the door and pointed out.

"For what it's worth…" he trailed off and cast a glance at Harry before turning back to me. "I'm sorry."

"It's worth nothing. Get out."

He closed the door behind him and I fell against it, tears stinging my eyes as I dropped to the ground. It was a moment before Harry was in front of me, and I immediately felt guilty for letting myself fall apart. I pulled my son into my arms and kissed his perfect head.

"Mommy loves you so much," I whispered. "Forever and ever." He struggled against my hold, but I shushed him and held him closer, determined to let him know that no matter what I would always be there for him.

It was a long time before I lifted us both off the floor and made dinner. When he fell asleep it was in my arms and I didn't try to take him to his bed. I wanted to hold him for as long as I could.

Edward came home at eleven, just as he promised. I heard the key in the lock and him taking off his shoes at the door. I heard his footsteps behind me and felt his hand on my shoulder.

"Is he sleeping?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yes," I managed to answer.

"Want me to take him to his room?"

I sighed and kissed my son's head before handing him off to Edward with a heavy heart. Blinking back tears, I went to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of wine and opened a beer for Edward.

"What's this?" he asked, holding up the envelope, as soon as I reentered the living room. I took a deep breath, but could feel my face crumple as I did. "Hey, what's going on?"

Edward took the drinks from my hand and led me to the couch.

"Sam came over earlier and dropped those off. Full termination of parental rights. I should be happy, right? It's over and I got what I wanted. Why aren't I happy?" I turned to him and met his worried green gaze.

"I don't know, Leah." He smiled sadly at me. I put my head in my hands as a little sob shook me. Edward's hand was warm on my back and his body was close, but I felt so guilty for losing it in front of him.

"I can't even fathom the idea of someone not wanting Harry in their life. And the fact that his own father just…_gave him up_. God, Edward. It kills me." I stood and paced with my hand over my pounding heart.

"What am I supposed to tell him when he's older? Sorry, kid. Your dad just didn't want you! How does that make sense?" I wiped my tears away, unable to look at Edward. He was silent for a long moment.

"You don't tell him anything," he finally said.

"What do you mean?" I asked quietly. He stood and walked toward me, taking my face in his able hands and tilting my face to his.

"You don't tell him anything," he repeated. "I want him, Leah."

"Edward…" I tried to shake my head and grabbed his hands that still rested on my face.

"No. I want him. I want you. I want every moment of my life to be with the two of you and I never want you to doubt that."

He didn't give me a chance to respond before his lips were pressed to mine and I was surrendering to him. I did so without any sort of fight, because I knew it was the right thing to do. That no matter what Edward and I were going to make it.

"What about when he's older? When there are no pictures of you and him as a baby? When-"

He silenced me with another kiss and I managed to push him away.

"We'll figure it out then. I don't mean _never_ tell him. If he wants answers eventually then we'll give them to him."

"You're sure about this?"

"I love you, Leah. I'll prove it to you every single day if I have to."

"I believe you," I laughed quietly and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Thank you for letting me in," he whispered against my lips.

"Thank you for wanting to be here."


	24. Asking

**Thanks for reading. Hope you all have a lovely New Year. XOXO**

**There's one more chapter after this. **

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down – Asking

**Leah…a year or so later**

"I'm bored," Edward grumbled from his spot on the couch. I tried not to glare at him from the dining room table, but it was hard. He'd already been through school in his younger years. Now I was in school at thirty and it was kicking my ass.

"Take Harry to the park," I said, just loud enough so my son would hear. He looked up from the little puzzle he was diligently putting together and settled his gaze on Edward.

"Ou'side?"

Edward glared at me, and then grinned.

"Why don't we go to the library?"

"Edward…"

"Books! Read books, Mommy!" Harry yelled, and ran to his room. He came back carrying his shoes and threw himself at Edward. Edward laughed smugly as he put Harry's shoes on, knowing that there was no way I could say no now.

"Just for a little while," I sighed.

"You need to get out, Leah," he told me as we left he apartment.

"Edward, your parents put a lot of faith in me by helping me with school, and I don't want to let them down," I explained for what felt like the hundredth time.

"My parents _also_ love me and want me to be happy. Given that I'm their child, that means my happiness takes priority; ergo, you have to leave the house and spend some quality time with us," he said triumphantly, gesturing to himself and Harry, who was happily holding both of our hands, oblivious to any tension.

I stuck my tongue out at Edward, and he grinned back beatifically. "I just don't want to screw this up," I said once we'd stopped at a crosswalk. Edward lifted Harry onto his shoulders and leaned down to kiss me.

"You won't."

"Your confidence in me is really annoying sometimes." I wrinkled my nose and pushed him away.

"Harry believes in you, too. Right, Harry?"

"Yes!" he yelled while his little arms wrapped around Edward's head.

"You're squishing my brain, kid."

"Sorry," he said with a soft pat in apology. Edward just rolled his eyes, and we continued walking until we reached the library.

Harry immediately began dragging Edward toward the picture books, and he smiled indulgently at him. My son, the tiny dictator. "Guess we're going to the kids' corner. Why don't you find something you like and we'll meet up in a few?"

"You said the whole point of this was to spend time together," I said with an accusatory stare.

He simply shrugged and kissed me before walking away. I hated when he didn't give me answers, though being out of the house was nice. Edward's parents had offered to help me pay for tuition, though for a while I'd refused. It wasn't until Carlisle said we could make it a loan that I agreed.

I was somewhere along the row where Edward and I first kissed when Harry came up next to me, tugging at my jeans and clutching something in his little hand.

"Here, Mommy," he said sweetly and held out his hand.

"What's this?" I bent down to his level and took the book from him. "Where's Edward?"

"I not know," he said with a little shrug, his hands held up in front of him- something he learned from his Uncle "Memmett". Edward laughed at the name, but Emmett didn't mind. He figured it was better than "Uncle Bum".

I frowned and stood up, still clutching the book, only to find Edward at the end of the row. He smiled serenely at me, his hands tucked behind his back. Harry rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Edward's legs, and I smiled.

"Are you two up to something?"

"_My heart is true as steel_," he quoted. I faltered and stopped to look at the book I was holding: _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. The same book I read to him on our first date.

"Edward…what's going on?"

"Open it." He nodded to the book in my hands, so I did as he asked, gasping quietly as the pages fell open. "Your mom helped me pick it out."

"Oh," I whispered as he took a step toward me. "It's beautiful."

"Can I put it on you?" he asked as he slipped the book from my hand, leaving only our hands and a beautiful emerald cut diamond ring.

I nodded, stunned to find that tears were welling up and spilling down my cheeks.

"Will you-"

"Yes!" I interrupted him and then clapped my hand over my mouth.

"Let me finish!" He laughed as he slipped the ring on my finger. "Will you- hold on," Edward said as he quickly turned and lifted Harry into his arms. Harry simply glared at him, upset at being interrupted from reading my discarded book. I smiled and smoothed his hair down before returning my gaze to Edward. "Will _both _of you, please, be my family?"

"I think I'd like that." I touched his face gently and watched as he broke out into a breathtaking grin. "What about you, Harry?"

"Okay."

"Good answer, kid. Very good answer," Edward laughed before leaning in to seal our agreement with a kiss.

"Well, it was a very good question," I said against his lips.

"I'm glad you think so."

"I do," I agreed.

"Save that for later, sweetheart."


	25. Living

**Hi again. This is the end of this little story. Thank you all for reading and reviewing and (again) feeding my Edward/Leah love. It means so much that you wanted to take this little ride with me. I couldn't have done it without JD and Sarah, who never hesitate when I go to them with ideas. I love you girls. Thank you, again. **

**Have a fabulous 2013! **

**XOXO, **

**Ashley **

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down – Living

**Edward**

The quiet _snick_ of the door closing brought me back to full consciousness. Leah was scolding Harry gently, and I tried not to smile. I'd worked nearly eighteen hours straight, but all I wanted to do was see them.

"You have to be quiet in case Edward is sleeping," she whispered. I could hear the rustling of paper and knew she'd been to the grocery store.

"Okay, Mommy," he promised in an exaggerated whisper of his own, and I smiled into the couch and closed my eyes tight. After a moment I could feel his little fingers on my face, and then his lips when he bent down to give me a soggy kiss.

"Shhhh, Daddy's sleeping," he said with a gentle pat to my head, but my heart was suddenly racing.

"What did you say?" I sat up quickly and held him under his arms up to my face.

"What did he just say?" Leah was out of the kitchen and standing at the edge of the couch.

"Daddy's sleeping?" Harry repeated with a worried glance at both of us.

"Who am I, Harry?" Leah pointed to herself.

"Mommy," he answered.

"And me?" I asked quietly. He smiled and leaned forward, wrapping his arms around my neck and resting his chin on my shoulder.

"My Daddy."

I took a shuddering breath and smiled up at Leah, whose eyes looked suspiciously wet, and blinked hard to clear my own blurry eyes.

"Hear that?" I grinned. "I'm his Daddy."

"Yeah. You are." She smiled back and settled herself next to us, her head on my shoulder next to Harry's.

"I play now," he said, as he pushed himself out of my arms, his tolerance for cuddling greatly diminished by the toys scattered on the floor. I laughed and let him go, still flying high over his words.

Leah's hand rested on my knee and I held it up, examining the ring I'd put there a few months earlier. The wedding was three months away and life continued to stay busy. She was in school and I was working what felt like too much, leaving me with too little time to spend with my new family. We were also in the process of moving into a little house we bought a few streets over from Rose and Emmett's.

So many things were happening at the same time that sometimes we forgot about the little things. Of course, being called "Daddy" for the first time wasn't exactly a little thing.

Papers had been drawn up for me to officially adopt Harry, though I knew in my heart that he was mine and would always be. I also knew that there would be a day when he would want to talk about Sam, and I would tell him whatever he wanted to know.

Leah took the change with as much grace as she could. It was hard for her to understand why someone wouldn't want Harry in their life, and I wondered the same. He was smart and sweet with an amazing blossoming personality. I couldn't wait to see who he would become.

I knew what a big responsibility it was to be a dad; I'd been living it for almost two years. So much of it just seemed natural, like I'd told Bella once: I was born for _this_ life.

"Play with me, Daddy?" Harry appeared in front of me, gently tugging my hand that was still gripping Leah's. I lifted him into my arms and kissed his cheek, feeling my face stretch into a grin.

"You like that, don't you?" Leah laughed from my side.

I nodded. "More than you know."

She smiled and brushed my hair from my face before leaning down to kiss Harry's head.

"You better get used to it then, Daddy. It's all you're ever going to be called now," she teased.

"I'm pretty okay with that," I told her as I slipped my arm around her and pulled them both closer. Harry laughed and crawled into Leah's lap, smiling up at her.

"Good." She kissed my cheek and rested her head back on my shoulder. I smiled again, feeling content, happy, and grateful that we both took a chance on each other and never gave up, but most of all knowing that we never would.


	26. Outtake: The Talk

**My girls are still taking good care of me, too. **

**I thought this was a conversation that needed to happen between Edward and Harry. And I'm really into Dadward right now. :) **

**Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Pulling Heaven Down Outtake: The Talk

"Be careful, Harry," I called to my nearly-five-year-old son, who was a few feet in front of me.

"I am, Daddy!" he cried, and glanced back at me as he rounded an aisle in the grocery store and promptly ran into a pair of legs.

I rushed forward and knelt down to help him up. He looked up at me with Leah's big, dark eyes, and I smiled down at him.

"You okay?" I brushed his hair from his face, but he frowned.

"I'm okay," Harry answered then grabbed onto my arm to lift himself up. As he did, his eyes traveled up the legs of the obstacle he'd just run into. I followed his gaze and felt my stomach drop as I did.

I straightened up and took my son's little hand in mine, securing him close to my side. It had been years since I'd been in such close to proximity to the man in front of me, but the rage I was feeling was reminiscent of that day in the diner when I'd first seen him.

"Oh. Cullen," Sam greeted with a clipped tone, but his eyes widened as glanced down at my side.

"Ow, Daddy," Harry whispered and tugged his hand from my grip. I ran my hand over his hair in apology and frowned at his reproachful gaze. I hadn't realized I was holding on so tightly.

"Sorry, baby."

"I'm not a baby," he grumbled quietly and I laughed. "Sorry I ran into you," my son said, glancing up at Sam.

His expression was unreadable as he looked from Harry to me before responding with a quick, "No problem, kid," and walked away.

It too, a moment after he walked away before I bent down to pick up _my_ son and carry him out of the store. Leah was waiting in the car, and smiled when I opened the back door to let Harry in.

"Did you get the ice cream you wanted?" she asked, while I buckled him into his seat next to his little brother.

"Shit," I muttered.

My son giggled and held out his hand. "You owe me a dollar, Daddy!"

I glanced at my wife, who grinned and nodded.

"I'm gonna be rich!" he yelled as I forked over my second dollar for the day. It was Leah's attempt to get us to stop swearing, but she'd already paid three dollars and it was hardly noon. We were headed to her parents' house to celebrate our son Luke's first birthday and had stopped to pick up ice cream…which I forgot because we ran into Sam.

"I'll go back, what kind do you want?"

"Strawberry, please." Harry grinned, so I kissed his head and headed back into the store.

A while later, we were surrounded by our family, watching the kids play and carrying on conversations about everyday things.

"What's up with you?" Emmett bumped my shoulder and handed me a beer. I shook my head, my eyes trained on Harry as he chased Willow and Michael in the front yard.

"Nothing much, you?"

"That wasn't an actual invitation for conversation, that was me trying to dispel you from this funk you're in," he explained.

I glared at him.

"My wife made me. She said you weren't yourself. I tried to explain you were just being a broody pain in the ass, but she didn't buy it."

"You're an asshole," I grumbled.

"Yeah, you discovered that when I was five and tied you to that tree," Emmett said as he pointed to the broad oak that stood in our parents' from yard.

"Harry ran into Sam at the grocery store…literally," I told him.

"And…?"

"And nothing. He didn't even blink an eye, just walked away."

"But that's good, right?"

I sighed, sipping the beer in my hand and shrugging. "I guess so."

"You're his dad." My brother patted my shoulder. "Harry knows that."

"I just know that one day…one day he'll want to know."

"Well, he's not even five yet. I don't think you need to worry about it," Emmett laughed. "Now, let's go watch Luke smear cake all over himself and take pictures that we'll use to torture him with later."

"Still an asshole."

Emmett grinned. "Yep."

xXx

"Is he asleep? Do you want me to put him to bed?" Leah asked quietly after she'd put Luke in bed. I shook my head and rubbed my hand over Harry's back. He stirred slightly and stretched, his head rested on my leg.

"No, I'll take him," I answered, while lifting him into my arms and making my way down the hall to his bedroom.

I set Harry in his bed and kissed his messy hair. I wanted to stay there all night, and to be there when he woke up. To watch him sleep and just to know that he was there, safe under my roof.

But I couldn't. Of course, _that_ was mostly because my wife was waiting outside the door for me to explain why I'd been in a bad mood on our other son's first birthday.

"Ready to talk to me yet?" she asked and brushed my hair behind my ear.

"No," I sighed and tried to kiss her, but she pushed me away.

"Edward…"

"We saw Sam in the store. Harry ran into him and fell down. Sam didn't even blink an eye."

Leah frowned and pulled me into the kiss she'd denied me earlier. "I love you."

"I worry about that day when he comes to me and wants to know, Leah."

"It won't be yet, Edward. And who knows, maybe it won't ever be," she said soothingly.

"You know I won't be able to live with that," I whispered.

"I know. That's why I love you. Don't worry about it tonight, baby. Worry about it in ten years."

"You're the boss," I told her with a small smile.

"It's about time you realized that."

xXx

**A few years later: **

"Where'd your brother go?" I asked Luke, who shrugged and grabbed a two-liter of Mountain Dew off the shelf.

"Can we get this one?" he asked with big, puppy dog eyes.

"No. Get Sprite," I answered, and tried not to laugh. Leah would kill me if I let him bring that back after she sent me to the store for soda and hamburger buns. We were in La Push for Celebration Days, something we did every year with Leah's mother, and Grandpa Charlie, of course.

"Are we going to watch the parade?" Luke asked as he handed me the Sprite and took my free hand.

"As soon as we get this stuff back to Mimi's." I scanned the aisle looking for my other son. I found him one aisle over, browsing the candy (for not being blood-related, he sure did inherit my sweet tooth), only he wasn't alone.

My stomach filled with that same sense of dread that it had so many years ago. I rushed down the aisle, dragging Luke behind me, and stopped just behind my son. The man next to him smirked and reached out to muss my son's hair, so I dropped Luke's hand and caught Harry's shoulder and pulled him back against me.

"Oh, hey Dad." Harry grinned up at me. "Sam was telling me about what the parade used to be like- he says that…"

Harry trailed off when he caught the look on my face. Not that he was often the reason for me to be murderous, but he knew well enough.

"Harry, take your brother to the games," I said quietly as fished some quarters out of my pocket and handed them over. The boys grinned and walked away, so I turned my attention to Sam.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Just talking to the kid, man. Don't worry about it." He shrugged.

"Stay away from my son," I told him, resisting the urge to point my finger accusingly…or punch him in his stupid smirking face.

"Your son, huh? He doesn't know, does he?" Sam's voice was low. "You haven't told him yet?"

"That's none of your-"

"Dad? We need more quarters," Harry said from behind me. I turned to face him and forced a smile.

"Okay, guys. Let's get this stuff back before your mom sends out the search party. Nice seeing you again, Sam," I put on a cordial face and steered my boys toward the register.

"I don't think Mom will send out a search party. Well…maybe for me. She likes me best." Luke grinned up at me while we waited in line.

"I'm the first born, I'm the favorite," Harry teased back.

"What about me?" I asked as I paid and handed off the bags to the boys.

"You're just the dad, Dad," Luke giggled and leaned into my side.

"Oh, okay. What about Wyatt?"

"Man, I forgot about him…" Harry mused.

"You forgot about your other brother? Harry!" I laughed and pulled him against my other side.

"Well, he's so little that sometimes I forget." He shrugged.

"He's three!"

"Yeah, and he's always getting into your stuff," Luke added.

"That's true. Can't you do anything about that?" Harry looked up at me and I smiled.

"No, he's three," I repeated. "You were the same way."

"Darn," both boys sighed and the conversation ended as we got into the car. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I saw Sam again, stepping out of the store. Harry watched him as we drove away, his dark eyes wondering.

"Dad?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Can we go somewhere? Me and you? I don't really feel like watching the parade."

"Of course." I reached over and squeezed. "I'll tell your mom."

A few minutes later we were pulling into Sue's front yard, and Leah was waiting for us on the porch. Harry stayed in the car while Luke and I carried the groceries to her.

"Harry and I are going to go for a drive," I explained.

"Can I go?" Luke asked, frowning up at me.

"Not this time." I knelt down, tickled him and kissed his cheek.

He laughed, but it wasn't his normal lightheartedness. "Okay," he agreed and ran inside.

"Is everything okay?" Leah asked, touching my cheek softly.

"It will be." I swallowed the lump in my throat and bent down to kiss her.

"Edward, what happened?" My wife ran her hand down my chest and wrapped her arm around my waist, pulling me closer.

"Let's just say…we really need to find a different grocery store in this town," I smiled ruefully and kissed her again. "I'll see you soon."

She took a deep breath and pressed a kiss to my neck. "I love you."

"Me too," I told her before walking away.

Harry was silent as we drove through town, and I knew exactly where to take him. It had been years since I'd been to the football field, but I felt it was the right place to have this talk with my son.

He frowned. "What are we doing here?"

I shrugged. "You seemed like you wanted to talk…and I thought this might be a good place."

My son nodded and walked halfway up the bleachers while I followed with a pounding heart. He sat down and stared up at me expectantly. I watched him for a moment before I sat next to him. After Leah and I were married and he was adopted, we never heard from Sam again. Not until a few years ago…and then today. I knew Harry was curious, because I knew my son. And that's exactly what he was: _mine_. He'd owned me since our first moment in the hospital, and I knew now that he wanted the truth no matter how much it might hurt me.

"I know who he is…that guy in the store? I know why you were so mad that I was talking to him."

I swallowed thickly. "Okay."

"When I was doing my heritage project I found this box in Mom's closet with all these pictures of when I was a baby. Like, first born, you know?" He looked up at me and I nodded. "You weren't in any of them."

"I know. I know I wasn't."

"Can you explain it to me, Dad?" Harry's eyes filled with tears and I quickly wrapped my arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer, sad that he'd been carrying that around for months.

"Where should I start?" I asked quietly and he pulled away, shrugging.

"At the beginning?"

I nodded and took a deep breath. "Well, your mom and I knew each in high school because our friends were dating-"

"Bella and Jacob?"

"Right. But after high school I moved to Seattle and I didn't see your mom for a long time, and when I did see her again it was at Jacob's funeral." I stopped and wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans, gazing out into the field for a moment.

"And?" Harry prompted.

"And when I saw her again she was married…and pregnant. With you."

Harry's little intake of breath let me know that was exactly what he was thinking.

"He's my real dad, isn't he?"

I nodded and then found my voice, "Yes."

"What else?"

"Things happened after you were born, Harry. Things that I can't explain because I don't know all the details, but I know that it wasn't a good relationship for your mother…or for you."

"Did he hurt her?" His dark eyes were angry as he looked up at me and I tried to smile.

"Your mom is very, very brave, Harry. She did what she thought was best for you and for her and moved away."

"To Seattle?"

"To Seattle," I confirmed.

"So…how do you get in the picture?" he asked, and that time I didn't have to force my smile.

"You got sick, so your mom brought you to my hospital."

"And that's it? You lived happily ever after?"

I laughed and kissed the top of his head. "No. First of all, you threw up on me. And it wasn't that easy to convince your mom to date me."

"I puked on you? And you still liked me?" He laughed.

"Ah, kid. I was crazy about you. I didn't know I could love someone that much until I met you," I explained quietly. Harry smiled and rested his head on my shoulder while wrapping his arms around mine.

"What happened to him, though?" He was serious again and I sighed. "Didn't he want me?"

"He tried, Harry. But it didn't work out, and he signed over his parental rights."

"How do I have your last name? Wouldn't I have his?"

"Right before your mom and I got married, I adopted you."

"So, you always wanted me?" my son asked quietly.

"And I always will," I replied just as quietly.

"Thanks for talking to me, Dad."

"I'll tell you anything you want to know, kid."

He nodded against my shoulder. "Okay."

We sat for a few quiet moments before he spoke again.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad I threw up on you that day."

"Me too, Harry. Me too."


End file.
